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Council considers historic zoning map, signs plan; refers map to planning commission
Summary
The council reviewed a Chamber of Commerce proposal for downtown wayfinding signage and a proposed historic zoning map prepared with Upper Cumberland Development District. The chamber described the zone as limited to commercial parcels with buildings over 50 years old and asked the council to forward the map to planning for review.
The Livingston City Council on Monday heard a presentation from Zach Stevens of the Chamber of Commerce on two downtown projects: a wayfinding-signage program funded in part by a Department of Tourist Development grant, and a proposed historic zoning map prepared by the Upper Cumberland Development District.
Stevens said the wayfinding signs are already in production and will be installed throughout the downtown area and county to help visitors find attractions and downtown businesses. “We believe that's going to be a great investment from a tourism standpoint to welcome visitors, encourage them to stop and spend money locally,” Stevens said.
On the zoning proposal, Stevens said the map targets commercial parcels and buildings more than 50 years old and would apply only to exterior features of those buildings. He told the council the ordinance enabling a historic zoning commission already exists but that the commission has not met for some time and that no official map could be found. “We have to have this in place for some of the grants that we've applied for in the past, like the Downtown Improvement Grant,” he said.
A council member asked how the boundaries were drawn; Stevens said the zone was parcel-based and deliberately sized to cover areas likely to pursue future grant-funded projects. The chair indicated the council would refer the proposed map to the planning commission for detailed review and then return the item to the council for a possible vote.
Why it matters: adopting a historic zoning map would make some properties eligible for grant programs and would reestablish a local review process for exterior changes to qualifying commercial buildings. The council did not vote on the map at this meeting; members agreed to send it to the planning commission for further study and to schedule the item for a future council vote if recommended.
What’s next: Stevens asked the council to review the packet and said the mayor would recommend members for a reconstituted historic zoning commission; the council indicated it would take the map to the planning commission and then consider a formal vote at a later meeting.
