Planning staff updates Oak Grove–Hillside–Bellemeade community plan; commission initiates rezoning for city parcel at 1240 Ingram Avenue

Planning staff on June 24 presented an updated Oak Grove–Hillside–Bellemeade (OGHB) community plan, saying the draft is intended to guide growth, limit displacement, and direct investments in sidewalks, drainage and neighborhood amenities. Commissioners followed the briefing by voting to initiate a rezoning of a city‑owned 47+‑acre parcel at 1240 Ingram Avenue to a transit‑oriented district to align the city parcel with nearby privately initiated rezoning requests.

Mary Ann Pitts of the Department of Planning and Development Review opened the presentation by summarizing the study area—Oak Grove, Bellemeade and parts of Blackwell—and the plan’s goals: support residential neighborhoods, manage development pressure, improve walkability and increase access to healthy food and services. Pitts said the area is near downtown and has experienced a resurgence in property values: "The median single family home assessment increased from 58,000 in 2019 to 133,000 in 2023," she said, and noted rising sale prices and a surge in assessed values that have accompanied new interest in the area.

Pitts described the plan’s themes tied to…