(A) The Main Street Redevelopment District is hereby established as an option to the use of the underlying zoning in order to facilitate redevelopment and new development along the Main Street corridor and adjacent streets in the area south of the Central Business District. This area is characterized by the following features:
(1) Contains a mix of commercial, industrial and residential uses.
(2) The area's historic industrial and commercial uses are declining.
(3) The area displays a "pre-1950" development pattern in which lot areas and dimensions are typically substandard by current zoning requirements and building setbacks are much closer to lot lines than what would be permitted under current zoning.
(4) Many commercial and industrial buildings and the housing stock were erected prior to 1950 and are in need of repair and rehabilitation.
(5) Limited availability of off-street parking.
(6) A lack of private investment, which has resulted in many vacant or underutilized properties.
(B) The purposes of this district are:
(1) To allow for the orderly redevelopment and reuse of existing buildings and structures in an older area of the city for which the original uses of the structures may no longer be appropriate or desired.
(2) To provide guidelines for construction and design of new buildings and structures so as to be compatible with the existing building and setbacks typically found in the district.
(3) To allow for the appropriate mixing of compatible residential, commercial and light industrial uses within a given building or on a given property.
(4) To promote economic vitality and encourage reinvestment.
(5) To minimize or eliminate the disincentives to redevelopment created by strict compliance with traditional zoning.
(D) Definitions. In addition to the definition of terms found in § 154.002 and elsewhere in the zoning ordinance, the following terms are hereby defined for the purpose of implementing this section:
(1) Compatible land uses. The characteristics and impacts of different uses or activities are either similar to the characteristics and impacts of other uses in the general vicinity or the characteristics and potential impacts of new uses or activities are not anticipated to have a significant detrimental impact on the other uses in the general vicinity, especially residential uses.
(2) Overlay zoning district. A special zoning district which is superimposed upon the underlying base zoning district or districts, the purpose of which is to allow the base zoning district uses and requirements to be altered in order to address special land use circumstances or existing development patterns that preclude the rational redevelopment of such land using only the requirements of the underlying base zoning district or districts.
(Ord. 07-109, passed 11-20-07)