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Planning staff and applicant push for rezoning Old Town corridor to C‑4A; planning commission directs notice for wider public input
Summary
An application to rezone two South Union Street parcels to C‑4A prompted Planning Commission discussion on May 6 about rezoning the larger Old Town corridor to match the master plan; commissioners instructed staff to notice the 300–500 blocks for public comment.
An application from 3 Spartans LLC to rezone 418 and 420 South Union Street from C‑2 to C‑4A generated a wider conversation at the May 6 Planning Commission meeting about rezoning the Old Town corridor to better match the master plan and the current pattern of development.
Planning staff told the commission the master plan explicitly calls for rezoning the 300, 400 and 500 blocks of South Union Street to C‑4A (commercial core) and that many existing buildings in Old Town are nonconforming under the present C‑2 zoning. Staff said C‑4A is more consistent with the built form and commercial activity already present in the corridor, and that the 6,000‑square‑foot footprint limit in the current C‑2 designation can discourage cohesive redevelopment of combined lots.
Applicant and project rationale: Scott Hardy, representing the property owners and an interested developer, said the two lots are functionally vacant or underutilized and that rezoning would permit a single, larger building with smaller residential units aimed at younger professionals and two ground‑floor commercial spaces. Hardy said the project concept seeks to make units affordable by allowing sufficient density and a single building footprint, and that project economics are constrained under the current C‑2 rules.
Commission direction and next steps: Commissioners discussed the risk of “spot zoning” and the legal and outreach implications of rezoning isolated parcels. Several commissioners agreed the faster and cleaner path is to notice and consider a larger, contiguous rezoning consistent with the master plan. The Commission directed staff to publish notice for the 300–500 blocks of South Union Street (both sides) and to place the item on the June agenda for public input; that public hearing is intended to gather community comment and is not a vote on the final rezoning.
What was not decided: No rezoning vote occurred on May 6. Commissioners and staff noted that rezoning the wider corridor would require public engagement and could be refined (for example, carving a transition zone for areas with mixed residential and commercial uses). If the Planning Commission later recommends rezoning, the matter will go to the City Commission for final action.
