The fast-growing city of Collegedale is planning for the future. At the commission meeting Monday night an ordinance was passed that amends the existing zoning policy to give the city both more control over and flexibility with development. 

 

Kelly Martin, strategic planner for the city, is in charge of both land use planning and economic development in Collegedale.

He presented the commissioners with a “Planned Commercial Development Overlay” (PCD) which would apply to C-2 Shopping Center Commercial District zoning.

 

He told the commissioners that the current trend is for people to live, work and play in a small area, and that the overlay would allow for this type of development. The current zoning laws provide for only commercial or residential districts, but not mixed use. PCD Overlay zoning is a matter of making exceptions while telling the requirements needed to do so, said Mr. Martin. 

 

Large-scale planned commercial development is the focus of this ordinance which will be limited by certain conditions. It can only be applied to parcels with frontage on Apison Pike, Old Lee Highway, or Lee Highway. The minimum land area of the site is 10 acres. The parcels must be entirely or partially located within 3,960 feet of Interstate 75, must have a minimum of 100 feet of frontage on a public street and must be in an area capable of being served by a public sewer. It will require city commission approval before this PCD zoning can be applied to any development. 

 

Components that comprise this type of expansion are residential, office, retail, and lodging. Seven percent of the total area must be reserved for open/civic spaces used for unstructured recreation. These spaces would consist of lawns, paths, walkways, trees and a pavilion. Each type of property use will be limited to minimum parking space. There also are prohibited uses which are defined in the ordinance. 

 

A development close to Apison pike with land on both sides of the road is now in the planning stages. The developers for this project would like to be the first to apply for this type of urban zoning. 

 

On first reading, the commissioners approved the ordinance to create PCD Overlay zoning. A second reading will be required before the city can officially adopt the plan. 

 

In his report, Mayor John Turner discussed an email he had received from a citizen concerned with a dangerous cross-walk in front of Spalding Elementary School near Southern Adventist University. It is in an area that people use to park for dropping off and picking up students. 

 

In a planned move, the university has closed the overpass at the location in an effort to direct people to another cross-walk at University Drive and College Drive East which is not in a curve. Commissioner Larry Hanson suggested discussing the campus safety with officials at the school about the possibility of changing the promenade and sidewalks in order to re-direct pedestrians away from the walkway in question. 

 

The next meeting of the Collegedale Commission will be Aug. 20 at 6 p.m.