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Council weighs Main Street vision, zoning and timeline for Park Avenue redevelopment
Summary
Councilors and staff debated an incremental approach versus an eight-year coordinated acquisition to implement a Main Street vision for Park Avenue, with discussion of sidewalks, parking, mixed use and how zoning would be used to achieve walkability.
Councilors debated how to translate the Park Avenue vision into zoning and steps that would produce a walkable, main-street environment rather than a disconnected set of projects.
Development services director Ryan Solstice laid out two paths: buy parcels incrementally and adjust zoning to allow development, or undertake a longer program to acquire most of the vacant land and key parcels before soliciting a single comprehensive development proposal. "If we wanna see something happen immediately, then the incremental approach would probably be the best route," S5 said.
Speakers flagged specifics that zoning and design will need to address: sidewalk widths (current five-foot sidewalks vs the 10–12 feet commonly found on main streets), parking needs and whether the district should be predominantly commercial or include housing. Several council members pressed for clearer staging, public input and milestones to avoid buying property and leaving it unused for years.
