Commission recommends MXN rezoning for 2402 North Nevada to allow neighborhood‑scale personal services
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Summary
Planning commission voted 8–1 to recommend rezoning 2402 North Nevada Avenue from R‑2 to MXN (mixed‑use neighborhood) after public comment and a proposal by the owner to continue a massage/wellness home occupation; opponents asked for OR zoning or use variance to limit future conditional uses.
The Planning Commission voted 8–1 on Aug. 13 to recommend that City Council rezone 2402 North Nevada Avenue from R‑2 (two‑family residential) to MXN (mixed‑use neighborhood scale). The applicant, a long‑time resident who operates a massage/wellness practice there, sought zoning that would formalize small personal and business services at the site.
Senior planner Bill Gray said the building has a history of mixed commercial and residential uses dating to the 1950s. "The property does have a history of being used commercially," Gray said, and staff concluded the rezoning is consistent with the Plan COS and the North End neighborhood plan and meets the zone‑map amendment criteria in UDC §7.5.0.704.
Applicant Neesh Bridal, who owns and operates a home‑occupation massage and wellness practice at the address, said she wants to continue neighborhood‑scale services without altering the building. "There aren't any changes to the existing building, so nothing to infringe upon visibility," Bridal said. She told commissioners she prefers a small boutique use to converting the building to a duplex.
Representatives of the Old North End neighborhood urged caution. Dutch Schultz, president of the Old North End Neighborhood Board, said the neighborhood does not oppose the applicant’s current use but strongly objects to MXN because it allows a broad range — 29 — of conditional uses, including restaurants with bars, motels and other uses the board considers incompatible. Mike Anderson, also with the neighborhood group, suggested rezoning to OR (office‑residential) or using a use variance to limit future uses rather than adopting MXN.
Commission discussion weighed those concerns against staff findings that future conditional uses would still require public review. Commissioner Casey said MXN aligns with the neighborhood plan’s intent to preserve small neighborhood commercial nodes. The commission recommended approval to council; the item will proceed to City Council, and opponents were advised they may raise specific concerns during the council hearing or pursue appeal procedures.
