Residents press city for clarity on proposed riverfront zoning; staff says materials and a smaller district are forthcoming
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Summary
Residents at public comment asked when the city will hold an information session on proposed riverfront zoning and an apartment project; city staff said it will not hold a separate session before the next Plan Commission meeting but will release revised materials by week’s end and recommended reducing the district to a three-block area.
Resident Charles Ricketts raised concerns during public comment about a proposed zoning change — identified in the meeting as ordinance 20 10 25 PC 1 — and asked when the city would hold a public information session about proposed projects including an apartment development on Bond Drive.
Ricketts said residents opposed to the project were awaiting details and asked whether an informational meeting would occur before the next Plan Commission meeting, which was scheduled for June 16. He warned that if the change is approved, it “will permit over 100 classes of retail and wholesale businesses the opportunity to locate on this riverfront zone.”
A city staff member from the mayor's office and economic development/planning team responded that, after reviewing feedback from the Plan Commission, staff had been addressing concerns about building height, the size of the riverfront district, and the schedule of permitted uses. The staff member said the recommendation will be to make the district much smaller — “only a 3 block district, and it's from Jefferson Street to St. Michael's” — and that plan commission materials and a community summary would be released by the end of the week. The staff member also noted that the City Council has 90 days to act on a Plan Commission recommendation.
Another resident, Deanna Shelley, asked whether officials support the district stretching to Ferry Street; staff cautioned councilmembers against answering for the full council and reiterated the planning process. City staff invited additional dialogue after the meeting and encouraged residents to review the materials to be released before the Plan Commission's June 16 meeting.
