Committee approves rezoning to allow medical offices and ambulatory surgical center in former Herff Jones mill

The City Council committee approved a rezoning petition that will allow the owners of the former Herff Jones mill to convert the historic, two-story mill into medical offices and build an addition to house an ambulatory surgical center.

Robert Azar, deputy planning director, described the petition as a remedy for legacy land-use patterns: portions of the industrial/parking uses sit within an R-3 residential zone under long-standing variances. The petition would change the zoning for the block bounded by Public Street, Eddie Street, Potters Avenue and Temple Street to M-MU-75 to match the existing commercial/medical uses and enable the owners’ proposed conversion and addition.

Petitioner counsel Kelly Morris Salvatore presented exhibits showing demolition areas and updated plans and said the project preserves the back (historic) building, which has received HDC approval. Developer Joseph Mardo said the existing two-story mill is approximately 33,000 square feet and would be converted to medical uses; he said there was not a signed tenant yet and that the likely tenant was not Brown Health.

Council members asked about proximity to residences and dust control during demolition. Petitioners said building-permit stage requirements and inspections will impose performance criteria (dust suppression and inspections) and that the building department would oversee those controls.

The committee entered petition materials into the record, voted to approve the rezoning and closed the meeting. The motion to approve was moved and seconded and carried by voice vote.

Next steps: With committee approval, the rezoning petition will move forward in the ordinance process and petitioners will pursue building permits and tenant arrangements.