Old Towne Street’s Zoning to Be Decided

Residents of Old Towne’s East Culver Avenue will have some resolution to their zoning conflicts within the next few months--but at least some of the homeowners are destined for disappointment.

At a recent discussion, City Council members reviewed six options for dealing with the zoning on the south side of the street, which now allows multiple units in the single-family neighborhood. They ended by asking city planners to develop more detail on a few options and to come up with new combinations.

But first, the council members in the majority said they would not decide until homeowner Ralph Zehner’s plans to build apartment units on his lot is resolved in an upcoming council meeting, yet to be scheduled.

That alone was enough to upset some residents who were eager for a resolution to the issue.

Culver is one of the most peculiar blocks in the mile-square historic district. Cut from an old farm, the 15 lots are each half an acre to an acre. In 1993, the city rezoned them to allow multiple dwellings because of the size of the lots.

Since then, though, preservationists and property-rights advocates have been waging battle.

Under the options being studied, one plan would not cut the number of units allowed on a lot but would mandate that they be farther apart from one another. Another calls for fewer units, and yet another calls for some combination of the two.

The final recommendations should come within three months, city officials said.