Commission recommends rezoning at 2506 Messaney to preserve single-family housing

Planning staff presented a request to change zoning at 2506 Messaney from C-3 commercial to R-1B detached single-family residential and the commission voted to recommend the change to the mayor and council.

The staff presentation said the parcel contains a single-family home in a row of homes that dates to 1924 and is a legal nonconforming use. The planner said the request is grounded in Principle 4 of the comprehensive plan, which “seeks to preserve existing housing as the most affordable housing,” and that the current C-3 zoning is more intensive than the future land-use plan calls for.

Commissioner Tom Richmond asked about the intended plan for the site; staff said the practical plan is “continuation of the use” and that commercial redevelopment is unlikely because the row of homes would have to be purchased and demolished. Staff also said a buyer seeking VA financing prompted the application because VA financing standards do not accept the current zoning.

No members of the public spoke in favor or in opposition during the hearing. After brief discussion, a commissioner moved to approve, the motion was seconded, and the vote carried with commissioners recorded as voting yes: Christie Green, Tom Richmond, Tim Walker, and Brett Hausman. The commission’s recommendation will be forwarded to the mayor and council for final action.

The commission’s staff report described the site as a legal nonconforming use dating to 1924 and noted the future land-use plan designates this area as a boundary between neighborhood commercial and medium-intensity residential.