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Show Planners postpone rezonefor RDA, ask for more details by Rick Brough The Parte City Planning Commission last Wednesday said it wants to know more about Redevelopment Agency Agen-cy plans for Swede Alley before recommending a zone change requested by the RDA. At the April 25 meeting, the six commissioners present pre-sent unanimously tabled a proposal to rezone part of Swede Alley from Historic Transition Overlay (HTO) to Historic Commercial Business Bus-iness (HCB) because of a lack of information. They asked for more details in the RDA plans for Swede Alley. Commissioner Steve Deckert said this was the commission's commis-sion's first chance to consider the plans. But City Manager Arlene Loble told the Record the Commission should look at whether the zoning is appropriate appro-priate for the area, not what construction is planned there. She also said the RDA design for Swede Alley is at least a year old and has been seen by the Planning Commission. Com-mission. But the panel is now composed of mostly new members, she said. The City Council and Planning Commission are scheduled to meet in work session this afternoon on several items, including the Swede Alley rezone. On April 25, the commission commis-sion also met with the Historic District Commission on the RDA plans. Members of both bodies expressed questions and doubts about the scale of buildings, parking and lack of open space. The proposed rezone covers a strip of land over Swede Alley. It would run (East-West) from Marsac Avenue to the western edge of the Swede Alley parking area. The northern boundary would be the northern edge of the Marsac Building. South, it would end approximately approxi-mately behind the Egyptian Theatre. It is presently zoned HTO. The western half of this strip (the present parking area) would be changed to HCB. The uphill portion would remain HTO, but areas below the Marsac street level could be used for business. Deckert said he felt everyone every-one at the meeting was uncomfortable with the RDA plans. Specifically, he said, he would alter them bv turning the area west of Marsac into open space. "Probably regardless of what we do. City Council would accomplish the zone change," he said. (City Council approves zone changes and also sits as the Redevelopment Agency.) Resident Greg Lawson said, "I'm not against development. But in any rezone request, the city has asked for and gotten a fairly site-specific plan." He said if a private developer came to the commission with site plans like the RDA's, "he would be sent home with his tail between his legs." He added, "It's a bass-ackward way of planning what's left of the Historic District." Lawson also said there should be more chances for public input. Alternatives to the RDA's present design should be considered. City Manager Loble acknowledged ac-knowledged that when Planning Plan-ning Commission considered rezoning in the past, it was their habit to look at site-specific proposals for an area. But they shouldn't do that, she said. "You should not believe what a developer brings in to you. That's not relevant. The ownership could be changed later," she said. She said the RDA design for Swede Alley has been shown in several public sessions. ses-sions. It was presented last year to the Planning Commission, Com-mission, the Chamber of Commerce and the Main Street Merchants. "The city's turned over backwards to hear from people," she said Those plans, presented last Wednesday, aroused concern in the board members. mem-bers. Commissioner Ruth Gezelius said she was concerned con-cerned about the massive scale of proposed buildings. "There's no open space. You're going to be looking down on roofs." Brad Olch also had a concern with open space and disagreed with the size of the hotel planned north of the Marsac Building. Olch asked how parking garages would be policied. Commissioner Ron W haley wondered if the plan has enough parking to accommodate accommo-date the commercial uses in the area. Deckert, looking at the RDA map-design for the area, said "I see a whopping building south of Marsac and another whopping building to the north of it. You've obliterated what has been a pretty nice hillside." Nina Macheel, an Historic District Commission member, mem-ber, said she was concerned about how noise, fumes and traffic from the commercial area would affect residences on neighboring Marsac Avenue. Responding to those comments, com-ments, staff planner Dave Boesch said the RDA wanted to revitalize the Poison Creek area as open space. He said commercial uses in the area would be oriented to the west. Residential uses would be oriented toward Marsac Avenue. |