Council discusses C-2 commercial zoning and whether churches should be allowed inside shopping centers

Speaker 2 opened discussion of Section 24-188 of the city code governing C-2 commercial district zoning. Speaker 1 focused council attention on subsection B6, which lists churches, synagogues, mosques, temples and similar places of worship as permitted uses only if the site has a minimum lot size of a half-acre and is not in a shopping center or strip mall.

Speaker 1 said the city has a HUD application under review for a building that may not meet the half-acre requirement and suggested the council consider whether the code s written ligns with current policy goals. "So this is actually gonna be a good fit," Speaker 1 said of the building under review, and added that the code might be vague on whether one church could be allowed in a shopping center.

Speaker 3 and Speaker 4 raised concerns about whether some religious uses generate sales tax or otherwise fit within retail spaces, and about parking impacts if a congregation grows and begins to overflow into nearby Uptown parking lots. Speaker 3 also recounted retail-character concerns from prior local examples. Speaker 1 said staff would likely rework the code language and review permitting pathways so that the council can evaluate whether to allow limited exceptions or stick with the half-acre rule.

Next steps: staff to review the HUD application, examine lease/ownership and permitting implications, and prepare code revisions and recommendations for council consideration. The transcript records discussion and direction but does not record a final vote or ordinance change.