Washington Evening Journal
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Fairfield hopes to revitalize ‘New Chicago’ with relaxed zoning laws
Andy Hallman
May. 12, 2020 1:00 am
FAIRFIELD - The Fairfield City Council is pushing a plan to rezone a neighborhood around North Fourth Street in the hopes of spurring development in the area.
The portion of North Fourth Street near the railroad tracks earned the moniker of 'New Chicago.” It was once a hub for businesses and industry that thrived thanks to the locomotive. The trouble is that trains have not stopped in Fairfield since the 1970s, robbing New Chicago of its central commercial role.
The Fairfield City Council has noted that the area just south of the tracks has fallen on hard times, with many of the former storefronts sitting vacant. The council's economic development committee adopted a plan at its meeting April 27, and later approved by the council later that night, to rezone the area into a 'mixed-use zone.” The rules for building would be neither solely residential nor solely business but rather a combination of the two that would allow for both types of development.
City council member Michael Halley, also the chair of the economic development committee that studied the issue, said he hopes that the new zoning changes being considered will encourage development by allowing a variety of activities, and by making it easier to get a permit. He hopes that not as many would-be builders will not have to ask for a variance, something that delays development.
Area
The area of town that would be rezoned mixed-use would stretch from Fifth Street east to the midblock between Main and Second Streets, and from Grimes Avenue north to Lowe Avenue. The properties in that area are currently zoned B1 (general business district) and M1 (limited manufacturing), though there are many residential properties, too, including two new triplexes.
'Establishing this mixed-use zone will better align city code with how properties in that area are being used,” Halley said.
Though the plan has been approved by the economic development committee and city council, it has to clear one more hurdle. The council has submitted the proposal to the Planning and Zoning Commission, which will review it at its June meeting, and then report back to the council with a recommendation. Helping to shape the policy are city employees Dawn Travis, planning and zoning assistant, City Engineer Melanie Carlson and Code Enforcement Officer Scott Vaughan.
Experiment
Halley said this would be a novel experiment in mixed-use zoning in the city. The reason this area was chosen to test the idea is that it's a neighborhood that needs revitalization.
'I don't want to pick on any particular property owners, but the area along Fourth Street near the railroad tracks is not well utilized,” Halley said. 'There are a lot of empty buildings. Historically, the train used to stop at the depot, what is now the Depot Brewery, which made the area a commercial hub. But the train hasn't stopped in Fairfield since the 1970s. From the city's perspective, there's no need to require that area to remain commercially zoned.”
In a B1 district, buildings can host residential dwellings but not on the first floor. For instance, downtown Fairfield has a few dozen buildings where the first floor is a business and the second floor is an apartment. Under the current zoning rules, New Chicago is also B1, meaning people who wish to live on the first floor of a building have to get a variance. Halley said that will change once the area becomes mixed-use zoning, which will allow first-floor residences.
'The city desperately needs more housing,” Halley said.
Halley added that manufacturing will be allowed in this new, mixed use zone, though that doesn't mean 'anything goes.” He said it will have its own unique set of rules governing setbacks and allowable uses.
'There are already restrictions in M1 zoning, like you can't melt metal or plastic,” he said. 'Those restrictions could be even stricter, like not allowing anything smelly or noisy close to a residential area.”
In addition to rezoning this part of town, Halley said the economic development committee is considering revising setbacks for corner lots.
'We don't want the city code to be making it difficult to develop properties in Fairfield,” he remarked.
The map shown above illustrates a proposed mixed-use zoning area in the 'New Chicago' area of Fairfield near the railroad tracks along North Fourth Street. The city hopes that by making the area mixed use, it will spur development of either commercial or residential properties.