Commercial Street Task Force starts work

The new Commercial Street Task Force will hold its first meeting Wednesday to begin evaluating future development in the historic Commercial Street district.

The meeting is at 6:30 p.m. in the Busch Municipal Building, Room L45.

The task force was formed at the request of City Council after council in May put a one-year administrative delay on potential construction and zoning issues in the Commercial Street area. The group will examine how to best integrate new construction into the district's historic nature and determine the uses permitted under the district's Center City zoning classification, which calls for mixed use, according to a city news release.

With the city's goal in mind to preserve existing buildings rather than demolish them and build new ones, the task force is asked to:

• review the Commercial Street Strategy for Success, adopted by council in 2006, and analyze how well the plan's goals align with the current state of the district;

• hear presentations from various stakeholders about the state of the district;

• make recommendations about amendments to the goals, policies and strategies of the Strategy for Success plan; and

• make recommendations about amendments to the zoning ordnance with respect to appropriate uses, use restrictions and other development requirements to keep in line with the Strategy for Success plan.

The group is set to meet at 6:30 p.m. every Wednesday until Sept. 16. All meetings are open to the public. Council has asked the task force to complete a final report by Oct. 2.[[In-content Ad]]