Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Story Avenue Rezoning topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Planning board previews 'B4' mixed‑use district for Story Avenue and business park area
Summary
Board members reviewed a proposal to convert parts of the I1/I1B industrial area near Story Avenue into a new B4 business/mixed‑use district, discussed permitted uses (medical offices, restaurants, small retail, multi‑family), outreach plans and a May 20 public forum; staff also flagged a state legislative letter that may limit local design‑review authority.
Planning staff and board members outlined a proposed rezoning to create a new 'B4' business/mixed‑use district around the Story Avenue / business‑park corridor to reflect emerging uses such as gyms, medical offices, small retail and multi‑family housing.
Rick Tinker, presenting draft maps and a uses table, said the intent is to recognize the area's transition from industrial to a more mixed, transit‑oriented corridor and to treat the northern corner as a gateway with pedestrian‑oriented streetscapes. "You can see back here the wetlands," he said while describing constraints, and he added the board should account for conservation and streetscape coordination with other boards.
The draft table would allow retail trade, health and recreation uses, restaurants with outdoor cafes, and some professional and social services as permitted uses while excluding large chain 'big‑box' retail. Tinker and other members discussed whether to allow multi‑family housing above a certain scale; staff noted the possibility of multi‑family over 20 units being treated differently.
Board members discussed procedure: the planning board can draft or co‑sponsor zoning text to transmit to the city council, and members considered holding an informal public meeting and coordinated outreach to the chamber and business‑park association before triggering the formal zoning clock. "We could actually invite the public to speak at a meeting here," one member said, urging early public input before formal council hearings.
Members also flagged an external issue: a letter from Jared Igerman summarizing a state legislative package that, if enacted, could narrow local design‑review tools by replacing discretionary aesthetic standards with more quantitative rules. Staff said they would circulate a highlighted summary and key excerpts for board review so members can assess potential impacts on local design‑review authority.
The board agreed to create a Story Avenue project page to host slides, maps and a working boundary so members and stakeholders can review materials ahead of a May 20 public forum with breakout tables and consultant David Gamble facilitating.
