City looks to attract downtown development with creation of district

MONTROSE — The core of Montrose’s downtown could see denser development through a measure directed at revitalizing the area.

City council is considering an ordinance to create a “redevelopment overlay zoning district” or “REDO” district, which would allow residents to build additional structures and a larger variety of housing types, compatible with the area’s character, on their existing properties.

The district is designed to encourage and facilitate residential development in the city’s historic downtown area, the ordinance states.

The basic incentive in the REDO district is to allow two homes where one is currently allowed, said senior planner Garry Baker.

Participation in the district, and compliance with its standards, would be voluntary, he noted. Residents can opt to fall back on existing zoning.

Council passed Ordinance 2200 on first reading at its Thursday meeting. Adoption of the measure will be considered at the next council meeting.

“I just think it’s going to give a little bit of new life to older parts of town,” said councilor Gail Marvel, who strongly supports the concept. Facilitating the movement of more residents into downtown would allow more to enjoy the benefits of walking and biking in their neighbors, she added.

The measure may also help alleviate affordable housing issues.

“Affordable housing (need) is huge and it’s not going to go away. To me this is a really logical way to accommodate those issues,” she said.

One person voiced concerns at Thursday’s meeting about additional cars parking on the street as a result of increased density. The ordinance would require property owners to create off-street parking for additional buildings.

Baker said the idea of encouraging infill development has been in the comprehensive plan since 1998 but didn’t become a goal of the city council until about a year ago.

The ordinance would most likely affect people sitting on non-conforming properties that don’t meet the minimum lot size, he said.

Establishing the “REDO” district would allow the city to administratively meet requests to build on these smaller lots. The current requirement is one house is allowed on a 6,250-square-foot lot.

A duplex requires a 9,375 square foot lot. This district would allow a single-family home on a 3,125-square-foot lot, said Baker.

“We think it will help to contribute to downtown revitalization,” Baker said at the council meeting. “A healthy downtown needs a relatively large population of people who live there where it’s convenient to walk to events, restaurants, shops. Encouraging any type of housing in the downtown area is really key to this.”

Montrose’s downtown is actually surrounded by pretty low-density development, mostly single family housing, he added. “That may be part of the reason the downtown, particularly in the after hours doesn’t have a lot of activity.”

Another purpose of the REDO district is to take advantage of existing infrastructure, including utilities and sidewalks, Baker said. “You really have some efficiency there, not a need to extend utilities.”

Contact Lisa Huynh via email at lisah@montrosepress.com