Belleville planners discuss PUD designation for 6 Main St. site

Since the Belleville Planning Commission is in the middle of a year-long, in-depth study to completely rewrite its 2006 Master Plan, mayor Ken Voigt suggested consideration be given to designate 6 Main St. as a planned unit development zoning as part of the project.
This was at the June 25 meeting of the commission that was rescheduled from its regular meeting night to continue work with consultants on the master plan update.
Mayor Voigt said this PUD could be in the five-year plan for the site.
He said between now and next spring the city offices will move from 6 Main to 330 Charles St.
“We own the whole corner and a PUD would make it possible to have what we want,” he said.
Andy Aamodt of Giffels Webster planning consultants said they could provide development styles, setbacks, and parking in an overlay ordinance. This could be done to provide a higher quality development to the community, that is more diverse with a level of innovation, Aamodt said.
Ava Miller of Giffels Webster led the portion of the study at the meeting that discussed objectives for the city including local economy, transportation and infrastructure, environmental stewardship, housing, Sumpter Road corridor, and placemaking and community building.
After much discussion, Aamodt said he and Miller will spend the next few months on the master plan text. He said the next steps in the rewrite of the master plan are:
• Implementation Plan and Work Session at the Sept. 11 commission meeting;
• Full draft review at the Nov. 13 commission meeting (tentative);
• Possible recommendation to the city council to vote at its Nov. 17 meeting to distribute the master plan to surrounding communities and stakeholders for a specific period, 63 days minimum; and
• Bring it back in January or February for its final public hearing.
Aamodt said the future land use map guides the zoning. He said they started with the 2006 map and it is a guiding document that, he stressed, doesn’t change zoning.
In other business at the one-hour-50-minute meeting, the commission canceled the July 10 commission meeting. A joint planning commission meeting between Belleville, Sumpter and Van Buren commissions will take place at 5 p.m., July 30, at the Belleville High School cafeteria.
Absent and excused from the meeting were Becky Hasen and Raytheon Martin. This was the first meeting for new member Tara Edwards. There is one seat vacant on the commission.