The Committee on Ordinance approved a zone change for three parcels on DeSoto Street, moving the properties from R‑3 (three‑family residential) to MMU (mixed‑use), after the City Plan Commission unanimously recommended the change.

Deputy Director Robert Azar told the committee the three lots are currently occupied by industrial businesses and are adjacent to the MMU‑75 zone. He said the proposed rezoning conforms with the city’s comprehensive plan future land‑use map, which envisions medium‑density residential adjacent to mixed‑use development.

No members of the public who had signed up to speak on the matter appeared. After the City Plan Commission recommendation was entered into the record, Councilwoman Shelly Peterson moved approval, seconded by Councilman Baez; the committee approved the ordinance as amended.

Why it matters

Planning staff said the change acknowledges longstanding nonresidential use on properties that remain zoned R‑3 and aligns the zoning map with adjacent mixed‑use parcels. The rezoning will allow the sites to host a broader mix of uses allowed under MMU, including light industrial, residential and commercial uses consistent with the MMU designation.