The purpose of the MU Overlay Zone is to provide areas of the City where mixed use development is allowed in order to encourage vibrant, walkable neighborhoods and increase the availability of housing in the City, while preserving the vitality of existing commercial corridors and minimizing displacement of existing residents. The objectives of the MU Overlay Zone shall be as follows:
A. Expanding the options and opportunities for certain commercial property owners and developers by allowing for combinations of commercial uses, and multi-family residential uses subject to specific standards, rules and procedures;
B. Creating the potential for more intensive development in certain neighborhoods, while maintaining realistic buffers between commercial and residential zones to ensure there is harmonious development in the area;
C. Expanding housing options for diverse socioeconomic populations in the City including seniors, young people, populations that wish to be transit-adjacent and populations that will benefit from development near an urban core;
D. Retaining the commercial tax base and streetscape character that exists in the City by encouraging neighborhood-serving and pedestrian-friendly commercial uses;
E. Concentrating new housing and amenities near existing and anticipated transportation nodes and stations to encourage the use of alternative modes of transportation to automobile travel; and
F. Allowing projects that are appropriately designed to achieve the desired neighborhood character, while providing development standards to minimize impacts of commercial uses to adjacent residential zones, and to encourage symbiotic uses. (Ord. 20-O-2825, eff. 12-18-2020)