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URA draft plan expands boundary along Forest Parkway and Jonesboro Road; Site A on Forest Parkway is preferred first project
Summary
Consultant TSW presented a draft URA strategic plan that would expand redevelopment boundaries along Forest Parkway and Jonesboro Road and identified a mostly city-owned 6-acre "Site A" (330 Forest Parkway and adjacent parcels) as the preferred first redevelopment site, with concept plans including cottage court housing and mixed-use retail.
Forest Park — TSW consultant Jia Lee presented a draft strategic plan recommending expansion of the Urban Redevelopment Agency boundary along Jonesboro Road and Forest Parkway to bring additional commercial parcels into the URA study area and to identify redevelopment opportunity sites.
The plan overlays blight data and staff recommendations with GIS and tax-assessor records and recommends four candidate sites for future development. The URA indicated a preference for Site A, a roughly 5.95- to 6-acre parcel that includes city/URA-owned property (listed in materials as 330 Forest Parkway and nearby parcels) and is the least complicated to pursue because much of it is publicly owned.
TSW presented three concept approaches for Site A: a horizontal mixed-use option that separates commercial frontage and residential behind it; a vertical mixed-use option that uses the corner parcel for multi-story retail-with-residential; and an option that incorporates a "cottage court" pocket neighborhood with small multifamily buildings, townhomes and a central park. TSW recommended excluding the corner parcel initially because acquiring it could delay early phases.
Planning staff confirmed parking and zoning reviews have been completed for the concept and that the plan includes streetscape improvements, pedestrian-friendly design, on-street parking, outdoor dining and public-art opportunities. TSW also suggested tools to encourage developer alignment with the plan (RFPs, discounted land sale/land write-downs, expedited permitting and TAD-financed infrastructure), noting that the site is not currently inside a tax allocation district.
Board members asked staff to confirm parcel ownership and to follow the planned public-hearing process prior to formal adoption. The consultant and staff said the URA can approve a conceptual plan and proceed with adoption and public hearing even if the agency does not own every parcel within the proposed boundary.
Next steps: staff will confirm ownership of the corner parcel (385 Central Avenue noted as privately owned in the packet), finalize draft maps, and return the plan for adoption and a public hearing before the City Council if the URA concurs with the draft.
