Committee accepts boundary change to remove Kent Mill shopping center from University Boulevard plan

The Planning, Housing and Parks Committee on Sept. 29 accepted a staff‑proposed change to the University Boulevard corridor master plan boundary that removes the Kent Mill Shopping Center, the adjacent Kent Mill Urban Park and a nearby Yeshiva from the plan area. Councilmember Fannie Gonzalez requested the revision, saying the shopping center "doesn't belong here" because the corridor plan should focus on the multimodal corridor, not the shopping center.

Council staff reviewed the draft boundary and said removing the park and Yeshiva references would not eliminate protections tied to those properties; references to reconfirming existing zoning would remain in the plan text. Chair Fritzson noted the committee had already held extra public hearings and emphasized staff and members had been "listening to you" during the review. "Without objection, we will accept the change to the plan boundaries as proposed by Councilmember Fannie Gonzalez," Chair Fritzson said, and members moved on to the transportation briefing.

Why it matters: removing those parcels from the plan boundary narrows where the plan's land‑use and redevelopment recommendations would apply, and it preserves a separate regulatory track for those properties. The committee left other map and zoning questions for continued review in upcoming work sessions on Oct. 20 and Nov. 3.