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Commission approves Monroe School overlay district to protect historic site for UNESCO nomination
Summary
The commission voted unanimously to forward a text amendment and rezoning to create an overlay district around the Monroe School to preserve views, limit intrusive industrial uses and enable inclusion in a UNESCO civil-rights-era serial nomination.
The Planning Commission unanimously voted to forward a zoning text amendment and a map amendment creating a Monroe School overlay district that staff said is required for a U.S. civil-rights movement serial nomination being prepared for UNESCO.
Staff explained the overlay will not replace underlying zoning but will add restrictions to protect the Monroe School's setting and sight lines. Proposed limitations include a 20-foot minimum setback from Monroe, Fifteenth and Seventeenth streets for new structures, a 32-foot maximum building height within the overlay, stricter sign standards, screening and limits on outdoor storage, and prohibitions on certain intensive industrial uses. The overlay would render some existing industrial or commercial uses nonconforming but would allow those to continue with limits on expansion.
Staff emphasized the overlay is time-sensitive for the nomination process and enacted to establish a defined buffer and standards that UNESCO requires for serial nominations; the overlay's design standards also include provisions to guide any new residential infill so new houses match block character. The commission voted, by recorded roll call, to forward both the code text amendment (CZ-2501) and the rezoning overlay (CZ-2507) to the governing body with recommendations for approval.
A single public commenter spoke in support. The items will now move to the governing body for final action.
