Kent city officials recently reversed a zoning change for downtown general commercial mixed-use (GCMU) developments in an effort to emphasize retail over residential, including any future uses at the current Kmart property.
The City Council voted 6-0 on Dec. 9 to increase the minimum commercial requirement for mixed-use developments to 25 percent from 5 percent of the total square footage, as recommended by city staff. The council in 2013 had reduced the commercial minimum from 25 percent to 5 percent because city officials expected the commercial zones to be built out by developers with primarily commercial or retail uses and some residential use.
But over the last year city staff found out developers are more interested in residential than commercial developments.
“We are now seeing the housing market where multifamily housing development could actually outbid commercial for certain larger properties within our downtown and to the west,” said Ben Wolters, city economic and community development director. “Take Kent Station for example. It’s clearly a retail development with residential development (new apartments) in the works as a secondary use.
“Imagine if that were flipped. If Kent Station was primarily residential with only a small amount of retail. It wouldn’t be the same Kent Station or the same type of mixed-use development.”
Wolters said the city has limited the number of properties zoned as GCMU.
“We think it’s very important to preserve these as potentially commercial areas to achieve the type of urban development envisioned by the City Council,” Wolters said.
The Kmart property of 8 acres is one site along Washington Avenue, also known as the West Valley Highway, that falls into the new zoning.
“It serves as commercial now and has great future potential for commercial,” Wolters said. “We want to have the opportunity for some housing to come out there in the future but only as part of a development that retains that commercial nature. Because of the change in the marketplace, we’re concerned we might lose that.”
City planner Erin George told the council that a 10,000 square foot building would require 2,500 square feet of commercial, which could be in a separate building.
The Kmart property could someday be turned in to three-story buildings with as much as 660,000 square feet of buildings, George said. She said the 5 percent would require only 33,000 square feet of commercial which is smaller than the size of Safeway across the street. The 25 percent requirement means 165,000 square feet to commercial or about one-third the size of Kent Station.
“We feel the 25 percent commercial would preserve a significant portion of the site and other sites for commercial,” said George, who added sites outside of downtown would still require only 5 percent commercial.
The city’s Land Use and Planning Board in November recommended approval of the change to the council.
The zoning change won’t impact the possible sale of the city’s Riverbend par 3 golf course that sits west of Kmart along West Meeker Street and outside of the downtown zone. A developer who buys that property must include 5 percent commercial use with any mixed-use development.
City officials hope to sell the par 3 next year to pay off the Riverbend Golf Complex debt of more than $2.6 million and invest at least $6 million to improve the 18-hole course.
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