Council approves OCS zoning changes to allow ‘main‑street’ setback and 55‑foot height in limited area

The council voted unanimously to amend the Office Commercial South (OCS) zoning district to permit a 0-foot setback from the travelway for mixed‑use buildings where the first floor is commercial, and to increase the maximum allowed building height in the district from 50 to 55 feet.

Planning Director Bridget Perry explained the rationale: the 0-foot setback is intended to create a pedestrian-oriented "main‑street" edge with sidewalks and possible parallel parking, while the additional five feet of height is intended to allow a developer to use an existing, predesigned four‑story building design that reduces development costs. "The 0 foot setback would only be required for mixed use buildings where the commercial space is on the 1st Floor," Perry said.

Councilors probed impacts and limits: they asked whether the change would require commercial on the ground floor (staff said the 0-foot setback applies only when the first floor contains commercial use) and about snow‑removal and long‑term maintenance implications of a denser street edge. Some members suggested caveats to avoid setting town‑wide precedent for taller buildings on other corridors; planning staff noted the amendment applies only within the mapped OCS area and that the majority of the corridor is within the town’s designated growth area.

Why it matters: the change is intended to reduce development costs for a specific planned project and to encourage a more pedestrian-scale, mixed‑use center on remaining buildable lots in the OCS district. Opponents urged caution about future maintenance costs and visual impacts in nearby neighborhoods.

What’s next: planning staff will work with the developer on the site plan process and the council asked staff to compile projected maintenance or service costs (for sidewalks and snow removal) tied to the new frontage standard.