Brief Update

City staff has spent time examining how best to move the Grant Road land use planning forward, to ensure that it meets the vision and goals set by the Grant Road Citizens Task Force. City staff wants to make clear that ongoing land use planning is intended to build on the extensive work already undertaken in collaboration with the Task Force. The results of that work are documented in the Grant Road District Zoning Ordinance (Second Draft, January 11, 2013), which lays out land use concept for the corridor.

Staffs are taking a thoughtful and considered approach so that it is successful in achieving the desired results. Some issues that need to be incorporated into the process as we move forward, for example, include: addressing topics not sufficiently covered in the Draft Grant Road District Zoning Ordinance document (e.g. historic preservation, design review, and helping existing property owners stay in the corridor); lessons learned from the two other overlays completed since the Grant Road project began (Main Gate Overlay and the Infill Incentive District revision process); and establishment of an interdepartmental City team that includes all necessary staff at the table (Real Estate, Economic Initiatives, and RTA reps need to be added).

Early in 2015, staff will hold a Grant Road Citizens Task Force meeting focused on land use. Preliminary agenda items include introducing the interdepartmental team; reviewing and getting feedback on the proposed process for moving forward on the land use planning development effort; and conducting an interactive exercise designed to confirm general agreement on such issues as elements in the Grant Road District Zoning Ordinance document that should apply across the corridor, those elements that may have more limited application within the corridor, and corridor areas of higher and lower priority for future development.