Melissa Bailey Photo
A zone change aimed at making neighborhoods denser on the edges of downtown won final approval from city lawmakers Monday night.
At their full board meeting Monday, aldermen voted unanimously to tweak a new zoning designation called “BD‑1” to make it easier for people to build “mixed-use” projects — combining stores, apartments, and offices — in areas like the Ninth Square and Chapel West. Click here to read more background.
Monday’s vote nullifies a lawsuit that was holding up developer Randy Salvatore’s proposed 136-unit apartment building at Chapel and Howe. Salvatore, who attended the meeting, said he can now move forward with his plans. He said he hopes to break ground this summer, after getting one more approval — a site plan review from the City Plan Commission. He received congratulatory handshakes from city officials after the vote.
“Thank you for sticking with it,” said Kelly Murphy, the city’s economic development chief (pictured above with Salvatore).
Susan Bradford, a neighbor who had appealed Salvatore’s zoning exemption in court, acknowledged that with Monday’s vote, “the Board of Aldermen just made my lawsuit moot.”
Olivia Martson (pictured with Westville Alderman Adam Marchand) of the Friends of Dwight Street Historic District, who led opposition to Salvatore’s project, said her group will now focus efforts on creating a new “buffer zone” to protect two- and three-story buildings from getting overshadowed by new development.