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Regional Planning Commission weighs mixed-use zoning for McGill’s Fourth Street
Summary
The commission discussed creating a mixed commercial/residential zone for parts of Fourth Street in McGill to make it easier to convert older commercial buildings to housing and to remove barriers such as lender restrictions and parking constraints.
The White Pine County Regional Planning Commission on March 19 discussed whether portions of Fourth Street in McGill should be rezoned to allow both commercial and residential uses, a step officials say could make it easier to rehabilitate long-vacant buildings for housing.
"There are 3 or 4 blocks on the west side of Main Street in McGill that are zoned as commercial, but are all used as residential," Commissioner Kenna Almberg told the commission, urging a zoning solution to reduce owners' need to apply for variances or repeated rezoning. Planner Jennifer Drew-Lesher said the meeting packet included McGill zoning maps and an example mixed-use ordinance (CMU-R) from another county as a model and noted that a new zone would require drafting an ordinance and County Commission approval.
Building Official Chris Flannery advised that the "small commercial corridor would have to be rezoned, and notice would have to go out to everyone that would be involved in that," and added he believes a mixed-use designation "wouldn't be anyone affected by that," while stressing that a public hearing must be held. Commissioners also raised practical constraints: Jesse Murdock said many lots are too small for commercial uses and lack parking, and recommended blending residential zones rather than wholesale conversion of commercial corridors.
Drew-Lesher proposed a two-track approach: reclassify parcels that are residential in use but still zoned C-2 to residential zones such as R-1-75 or M-H-3, and reserve a one- or two-block area for a new mixed-use designation where commercial activity continues. Commissioners Almberg and Murdock volunteered to work with the Building and Planning Department to draft a proposal and to involve town councils; Flannery said he would attend those meetings if requested. The commission did not take a formal vote on zoning changes; any ordinance would return to the County Commission for final action.
