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Florissant Hearing Held On Rezoning Changes Necessary at Surrey Plaza
Prop S Funds are for Streets Only
By Carol Arnett
The first of two public hearings held at Monday night’s Florissant City Council meeting concerned a request to rezone properties currently zoned B-4, Highway Commercial District to a B-3 Extensive Business District. The properties range from 2520 to 2775 N. Hwy. 67. They include the Surrey Plazas.
Florissant City Building Commissioner Phil Lum spoke to the council about the change.
“A restaurant wants to go into the area,” he said, “It was discovered that B-4 property only had a couple of uses available,” he said. Restaurants were not allowed in the B-4 zone.
The properties to either side of the properties in question are already zoned B-3. They could either change the uses in the current zoning or change the zoning for the properties, Lum explained.
He said that the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission preferred to change the zoning of the properties in question. “What makes the section of the highway different than B-3? Not much,” he said. Keeping the current zoning, he said, “just didn’t make sense.”
Lum said that all businesses in the affected area had been notified of the change. It will not cause any of them to change or modify their business, he said. The council held a first reading on a bill approving the zoning change.
The second public hearing was about the city’s proposed budget for fiscal year 2016. The city’s fiscal year runs from Dec. 1 to Nov. 30. Randy McDaniel spoke to the council about the budget. He told the council that the budget was presented to the council at the last meeting and made available to the public.
The council held a first reading on a bill approving the budget.
In other action, the council held first readings on a bill that would approve the Community Development Block Grant and held first readings on three bills that would transfer money from one budget account to another.
Resolution Clarifies Prop S Intentions
The council also passed a resolution about Proposition S. The proposal, on the Nov. 3 ballot, would authorize a 1/4-cent sales tax to be collected and used for street maintenance, repairs and replacement. The resolution clarifies that funds will not be mixed with general funds and will be used only for streets.
In the coming weeks, the mayor and the city council will host additional informational meetings for residents on Prop S. Ward meetings will be held Monday, Oct. 19, at 7 p.m. at JFK Center. A final presentation on Prop S will be given Thursday, Oct. 29, at 7 p.m. at the JJE Center.
