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Planning board debates changing mixed-use rule; staff suggests a "commercial downtown" designation
Summary
Board members and the city planner discussed whether a downtown mixed-use policy that requires a 50/50 residential/commercial split is too restrictive for local redevelopment and considered creating a "commercial downtown" category that would allow residential without mandating a strict split.
Board members reviewed the city's future land use map and debated whether the current mixed-use requirement — described in meeting materials as roughly a 50/50 residential-to-commercial split — is hindering redevelopment in the downtown area.
Janice Sweet, the city planner, said mixed-use is normally applied to large planned developments and that downtown may be better served by a "commercial downtown" category that allows residential uses without enforcing an exact residential/commercial ratio. "Mixed use normally is in a larger area ... Yours is in the downtown area," Sweet said, urging the board to consider a definition that permits residential uses but does not require a fixed split.
Members suggested alternatives, including changing the ratio (one member proposed 80/20) or creating a new "commercial downtown" density category that would allow residential but be less prescriptive. Staff asked board members to review policy LU-11.41, examine map boundaries and consider whether particular blocks should be reclassified before the next workshop.
The discussion included several map-specific points: the yellow residential-coded area that is industrial in current zoning, the potential northeast and northwest development areas, buffer concerns where light industry abuts residential (Fox Run Road), and ownership notes on parcels reportedly held by the Wiggins Group. Members also flagged a recently cleared homeless camp in a northeast parcel as a local context point to consider in land-use planning.
Staff asked the board to treat the map review as homework: read the policy descriptions, drive the areas if helpful, and bring suggested boundary edits or new category definitions to the next meeting. Staff said it will provide sample definitions for "commercial downtown" and similar categories and distribute larger, GIS-format maps for members to review.
Next procedural step: staff will circulate map files and draft definitions; a joint March workshop and a January follow-up meeting (target Jan. 21) were discussed for continuing the review.
