City Council approves overlay district for I-30

Discussion

November 28, 2012

City Council approves overlay district for I-30

By BRAD KELLAR Herald-Banner Staff The Herald-Banner Wed Nov 28, 2012, 10:00 AM CST

GREENVILLE — The Greenville City Council voted Tuesday to create an overlay zoning district for the Interstate 30 corridor.

Greenville City Manager Steven Alexander said the controversial proposal has been talked about for years.

“We’ve had a lot of discussion about this particular ordinance,” Alexander said, adding that while most of the recent talk about the proposal have been positive, the Council had recently received six written responses in favor of the ordinance, “with six written responses in opposition.”

Greenville Chamber of Commerce President and CEO Sally Bird said the Chamber’s board of directors had come out in favor of the measure.

“We think this is one of the most major quality of life issues we can address,” Bird said. “That stretch of road is one which we want to be proud of.”

The district was first proposed some eight years ago, was included under the Small Area Plan passed last year and has been the subject of two public hearings and three workshop meetings in the past year.

An information meeting was also conducted October 25, in the Fletcher Warren Civic Center.

The new rules under the district will not immediately apply to existing businesses, but will to any future developments which locate along the corridor.

The proposed overlay district will be used to establish alternative land development requirements within a specific area, in this case the Interstate 30 corridor, stretching from the western city limits of Greenville eastward to 500 feet past Moulton Street.

Chamber Tourism Director Milton Babb said the district should help convince businesses that the city was seeking to maintain high standards along the corridor.

“I think this overlay will give developers the confidence to invest in our town,” Babb said.

The vote was 7-0 in favor of the creation of the district.

Mayor Steve Reid thanked all of the members of the Planning and Zoning Commission who had worked on the district over the years.

“I want to tell these people how much I appreciate their time,” Reid said.