Council approves rezoning of East Middle School site to P2 and vacates adjacent alleys for District 51 use

The Grand Junction City Council on Aug. 6 adopted an ordinance rezoning roughly 3 acres at 830 Gunnison Avenue — the former East Middle School site — from RM-8 (Residential Medium 8) to P2 (Public, Civic and Institutional Campus). The council also approved two related ordinances vacating alley right-of-way adjacent to the site.

Why it matters: Rezoning the site clears the way for Mesa County Valley School District 51 to use the campus for administrative support services and other institutional uses that are permitted in a P2 zone. Vacating the alley will consolidate ownership and ease the district’s long-term facility planning, while the city will retain necessary easements for utilities.

What council approved: Council adopted ordinance 52 72 (rezoning to P2) on final passage (roll call 6–0). Later in the meeting the council adopted ordinance 52 73 to vacate about 7,772 square feet of a 20-foot alley right-of-way between North Eighth Street and the vacated North Ninth Street right-of-way; the council’s approval included a condition requiring that District 51 grant the city a sanitary sewer easement to preserve an existing sewer connection before the vacation becomes effective. Planning staff said the vacation ordinance will be void if the required easement is not recorded within one year.

Staff and applicant statements: Senior planner Thomas Lloyd told council the proposed P2 zoning is an implementing district for the site’s comprehensive-plan designation (Residential Medium) and said the P2 zone permits civic and institutional uses that are compatible with nearby homes and Washington Park. Mark Austin, representing District 51, said the district plans “administrative support services” in the existing building and that the alley vacation will facilitate common ownership and future site development.

Public comments: Neighbor Sheila Yeager, who lives a block away, said she had expected only District 51 administrative use but expressed concern the rezoning would allow a broader set of uses in the future and urged protection for the adjacent Washington Park. City staff and the applicant clarified Washington Park is not part of the rezoning or alley vacations; the alley area currently covered by the building would be integrated into District 51 property while the city will retain utility access via easements.

Outcome and conditions: The rezoning (ordinance 52 72) passed 6–0. The alley vacation (ordinance 52 73) passed 6–0 and includes the condition that a sanitary sewer easement acceptable to city staff be recorded; the vacation ordinance will be void if that easement is not recorded within one year.

What’s next: District 51 and city staff will complete the required easement documentation. Any future redevelopment of the site will be subject to applicable zoning and the Greater Downtown Plan’s development standards.