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Board denies request to exempt former library property from downtown overlay district
Summary
Property owners Mike and Tammy Miller requested an exemption from the downtown overlay district for four lots that include the old library site; planning staff recommended denial because the draft comprehensive plan recommends expanding the downtown overlay. The board voted to deny the requested zoning regulation change.
The Planning and Zoning Board on Jan. 28 denied a petition by Mike and Tammy Miller to exempt four parcels — including the former library site on West Main/First Street — from the city’s downtown overlay district.
The millers told the board they want to convert the old library building into indoor storage and referenced the presence of other storage facilities south of the site. Staff recommended denial, noting the draft comprehensive plan being considered that evening recommends expanding the downtown overlay district to better coordinate with Main Street program goals and commercial development on Meridian. Staff said exempting property now would run counter to that policy direction.
Board members discussed grandfathered uses (existing businesses that predate the overlay) and cautioned that changing the overlay could set a precedent for other property owners requesting exemptions. After public comment and deliberation, the board voted to deny the zoning-regulation change; the decision means the property remains subject to the overlay rules, and any future change of use to storage would require additional zoning changes and approvals.
