Redevelopment is still a few years away for an industrial lot at 4601 Eisenhower Avenue, but the prospect of new development at the Victory Center and the Vulcan site has developers eyeing new investments in the Eisenhower corridor.
Like many of the lots along Eisenhower Avenue, the lot at 4601 is classified as industrial. Owner Boundary Investments LLC is hoping for an “umbrella” approval (item 7) for a variety of special uses down the road and to expand the square footage of non-complying uses from 14,654 square feet to 45,501 square feet.
That permit will open that lot up for redevelopment down the road and help attract new clients in the meantime. The application said the building is currently “well-occupied by a number of tenants who wish to remain,” but redevelopment could come sometime within the next 15 years.
According to the application, the new special use permit would also allow the applicant to open the property up to new types of tenants:
In the interim, the Applicant intends to continue to lease space in the existing building to a variety of light industrial and commercial uses which are compatible with the existing uses in the building and surrounding uses in the neighborhood. The proposed 15-year term of the umbrella SUP is consistent with the term of previously approved umbrella SUPs along this segment of Eisenhower Avenue, will provide current and future tenants with assurance, and will enable the Applicant to retain existing tenants and attract new businesses to the City until market conditions are appropriate for redevelopment.
Staff recommended allowing the applicant more flexibility in its zoning.
“Industrial centers operating under similar ‘umbrella’ SUPs along Eisenhower Avenue have successfully, and without complaints, accommodated low-impact industrial and commercial uses, uses that may be too large for many of the smaller available tenant spaces in the City or start-ups seeking convenient and affordable locations,” the staff report said.
Eisenhower Avenue is dotted with ostensibly “industrial” parks that allow for a variety of uses that don’t fit neatly into other zoning uses, from an indoor play space to a climbing gym. Greater flexibility in industrial zones was also one of the goals of the Zoning for Housing/Housing for All overhaul approved last year.
The staff analysis said plans for the Victory Center have sparked new interest in development on Eisenhower Avenue.
“While no immediate redevelopment interest exists for the site, staff believes there is the potential for future redevelopment opportunities in the mid to long-term given the Victory Center residential development activity and the Landmark Mall and the Vulcan site redevelopments to the west,” the report said.
The application is headed to the Planning Commission on Tuesday, May 7.
Original post:
Victory Center and Vulcan developments spur new interest in redevelopment along Eisenhower Avenue
