Tuesday, December 11, 2007

CM5 Growing

Rezoning floated for downtown
Luring businesses goal for area near Harrison Square
Link (JG)

"City planners Monday presented the case for rezoning land northwest of Harrison Square to blend with the $125 million redevelopment project.

The city’s strategic planning staff wants to rezone the area bounded by West Washington Boulevard, Fairfield Avenue, Jefferson Boulevard and Webster Street to a central downtown district designation."
[...]
"Rezoning the area, which is currently zoned for general commercial use, would make downtown zoning more cohesive, said Russell Garriott, a planner for the city. Harrison Square already has been designated a central downtown district. That zoning classification encourages a dense mixture of businesses, apartments and condominiums in the urban core.

Two of the 13 existing properties – an auto repair shop and a house – do not fit the central downtown district zoning’s requirements, but Garriott said they would be grandfathered in if the area is rezoned.

The rezoning request is the first step toward implementing the city’s Around the Square plan, Garriott said. The plan is designed to attract development outside Harrison Square’s boundaries without impinging on historic homes."

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