GOVERNMENT: JACKSON TO CONSIDER REZONING

JACKSON, Mo. -- The city of Jackson is considering shrinking the size of its central business district, a move intended to recognize the city's recent growth trends and to protect the residential quality of the area.

The issue was brought to the fore with the construction this year of the Cape Girardeau County Archive Center at 112 E. Washington St. Located across from the county courthouse but on a side of the block that also has houses, the building protrudes all the way to the sidewalk with no setback. Many people complained after the building went up.

The city's Planning and Zoning Commission had been talking for some time about the need to look at the business district boundaries, said Barbara Lohr, the commission's chairwoman.

"In the central business district, you can build lot line to lot line, and the front of the building can go right up to the sidewalk. We had that because we really thought the uptown area would spread out," Lohr said.

The proposal to reduce the district takes into account the city's recent commercial growth along East Jackson Boulevard.

"Now that a lot of the businesses are out on the highway, we felt that it probably stretched out too far," Lohr said.

The idea is "to center the bullseye," said Rodney Bollinger, the city's planning and zoning official. He says the C-3 district has gotten too big to do what it was meant to do.

"A lot of areas aren't being used as commercial. In fairness, we didn't want to change from commercial to residential. This is just a bit more restrictive."

The change would have to be approved by planning and zoning and the Jackson Board of Aldermen. The part of the current central business district that lies outside the proposed boundaries would be zoned C-2 (general commercial), which provides for some building restrictions. Those include a 30-foot front setback and a 25-foot rear setback.

The city's central business district, zoned C-3, now is bounded by Cherry Street to the north, Jackson Boulevard to the south, Georgia Street to the east and Bast on the west. The proposal would reduce the district by more than half to Washington Street on the north, Madison Street on the south, Hope Street on the east and Missouri Street on the west.

Immaculate Conception School and St. Paul Lutheran School would remain zoned C-3 even though they would be outside the C-3 district. Any non-conforming buildings in the new C-2 area would be grandfathered in.

The proposed rezoning would affect 181 properties in the city's midsection.

The Jackson Planning and Zoning Commission will hold a public hearing on the issue at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 13.