Council set to OK mixed use

BY EMILY BATTLE

A key to sprucing up some of the commercial spots in Fredericksburg is likely to get the City Council's approval this week.

Council members are expected to take the second of two required votes Tuesday to pass a new zoning ordinance that allows for mixed-use developments.

For developers, this means Fredericksburg will have a spelled-out plan for how it wants projects that mix retail, office and residential space to look, and a guide for how to get government approval for those projects.

For taxpayers, city officials hope the new rules will set the stage for the kind of development they are looking to to keep the city's tax base growing within fixed boundaries.

"The city is mainly built-out," Planning Director Ray Ocel said. "To keep growing the tax base, we need to look back in on ourselves and look at areas that are ripe for redevelopment."

This kind of development was a big part of the JumpStart plan the city's Economic Development Authority put together in 2006.

If you want a real-world example of what these kinds of developments look like, look at the University of Mary Washington's plans for Eagle Village.

The UMW Foundation proposes to redevelop the Park & Shop center on U.S. 1 as residential, office and retail space.

The first phase of this project includes a pedestrian bridge over U.S. 1, a 624-bed student dormitory and another building that will combine a parking deck, retail, restaurant and office space.

It will be up for a vote by the Planning Commission on Wednesday night.

The UMW Foundation--a private foundation separate from the university--has applied for the new mixed-use zoning for this project. Foundation officials hope to demolish the former Roses store and start construction on the first phase of the project in the next couple of weeks.

Eagle Village will replace a shopping center that was built in the 1960s and now has several vacant storefronts with commercial space that UMW Foundation officials project will garner much higher rents per square foot.

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EAGLE VILLAGE LOCATION: Park & Shop center on U.S. 1; phase one includes the former Roses store FEATURES: Includes a pedestrian bridge over U.S. 1, a 624-bed student dormitory and another building that will combine a parking deck, retail, restaurant and office space. STATUS: Construction on the project's first phase begins in the next couple of weeks. FREDERICKSBURG PARK LOCATION: Corner of Lafayette Boulevard and the Blue and Gray Parkway FEATURES:Townhouses and a pedestrian bridge over the Blue and Gray Parkway. Possible high-end grocery store. Mix of retail and office space. STATUS:

Partners preparing to submit rezoning application.

SHANNON ESTATE LOCATION: 78 acres along northbound Interstate 95 between Cowan Boulevard and State Route 3 FEATURES:Development plans unclear, but this is one of the largest undeveloped tracts in Fredericksburg. STATUS:

No specific plans have been announced, but owners are talking with city officials.

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Date published: 2/22/2009

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