The city will move toward restricting ground-floor businesses in the downtown to retail operations and require professional services to locate on upper floors.
The city is working on changing the land-use bylaws to bring in the restrictions that have long been called for by downtown retailers.
“Over the long-term you’d want to create a more shoppable downtown rather than a one-off destination for doctors, lawyers, accountants,” said Mayor Nolan Crouse.
He requested that the changes be part of the implementation of the downtown area redevelopment plan. The implementation became public this week.
The intent is to grandfather the changes so it would affect where new businesses could locate but not displace existing professional services.
“The current professionals, they would certainly not want to see themselves change in the middle of their business,” Crouse said. “You wouldn’t want to hurt anybody that’s existing. Long-term, there would be better places for them.”
Downtown retailers have for years advocated for such a change, which was also a recommendation of a tourism expert the city hired in 2008 that eventually led to the creation of the city’s botanical arts brand.
The idea was one of the most-often cited during downtown task force sessions held in 2009, Crouse said.
Previous councils haven’t been willing to address the idea but Crouse pledged he’s committed to seeing it through.
“This is part of the many things that we’ve got to do,” he said.
Changing the land-use bylaw requires public consultation, which will likely happen sometime in the fall, said city manager Bill Holtby.
Crouse also has city administration looking into the creation of a downtown design review panel. This is an idea that a downtown resident suggested, Crouse said.
The panel would include a cross-section of experts such as architects and planners. The panel’s role could include devising standards for downtown buildings and reviewing proposed building designs to ensure a cohesive look, Crouse said.
“I haven’t fleshed it out in any detail, it was just an idea.”
