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Commission approves first reading of downtown zoning and parking text amendment to ease reuse of existing buildings
Summary
On first reading the commission approved a zoning text amendment affecting B2, B3 and West Walnut districts intended to encourage adaptive reuse, modify residential area rules in B3, exempt some existing buildings from new parking minimums and require paving/striping for downtown parking.
The City Commission gave first reading approval on a zoning text amendment designed to encourage renovation and reinvestment in downtown and supporting districts.
Planner Bryce McNamer told commissioners the amendment revises area regulations for the B‑3 supporting Central Business District, clarifies parking requirements for B‑2 (Central Business District) and establishes paving and striping standards for parking in B‑2, B‑3 and West Walnut. The changes would allow some existing buildings in B‑3 to convert uses without meeting modern parking minimums in specific circumstances, lower the required parking standard for new multifamily in B‑3 to one space per dwelling unit, and remove language that inadvertently exempted all of Article 11 from B‑2.
McNamer said staff recommends the changes to better match downtown urban form, encourage mixed‑use activity along street frontages and address the difficulty of meeting current parking minimums when reusing older buildings. The planning commission had recommended approval on May 13; staff said a citywide parking study is pending and will inform future policies.
Commissioners asked questions about setback consistency along Main and Market streets, parking near transitional districts (Watauga/Unico), and where public parking is available to serve B‑3 locations. The amendment passed its first reading and will return for the required public hearing and second reading on June 19.
