New Development Coming?

UPDATE: 8:30pm: Town planner Rob White provided a copy of the notice below and clarified that the rezone request is only to change the zoning on the lots closest to 51st Street (former gas station storage), not the residential lot next door.


 

Notice of Application and Public Hearing

The Town of Ruston Planning Commission will hold a public hearing on November 28, 2012 at 7:00 p.m. or as soon thereafter as the matter may be heard, on Ordinance No. 1382, which proposes to amend the zoning designation for 5104 and 5108 North Highland Street from Commercial (COM) to Commercial-Pearl (COM-P).  All members of the public may provide testimony on the proposal during the public hearing or you may submit written comments prior to the public hearing.  If you would like a copy of the Ordinance, you will find it on line at www.rustonwa.org.

Public comments or questions may be submitted in writing to Rob White, Town Planner by e-mail at robw@rustonwa.org , or by mail at 5117 North Winnifred, Ruston, WA 98407, up until the time of the close of the public hearing.  Verbal testimony will be accepted at the public hearing.

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The new owners of Frank's Ruston Inn purchased the vacant lots behind the building when they bought the restaurant (story about Ruston Inn closing here). The property has been dormant since the purchase in May, but things are starting to percolate.

The new owners have applied for rezone of the vacant lots behind the restaurant. The request is to change from commercial zoning on the front lot (formerly used as storage for the gas station) to the existing COM P zoning that applies to the commercial area along Pearl Street.

If the rezone is granted, among other things, the owner would have more design requirements on any new development (such as awnings along the storefront) in exchange for slightly higher building height allowances. No building permit application is in the works yet since the zoning determines what any development proposal would look like.

The planning commission has scheduled a meeting and notices were mailed out this week. More details will be coming soon, but the application material is available  here... The activity is a hopeful sign that we may see more much-needed activity on our main street corner again soon.