The City of Nixa is considering a new downtown overlay district to support redevelopment in the heart of the city.
It was introduced at Nixa's July 14 City Council meeting by Director of Planning and Development Scott Godbey.
"When you get into those situations in your typical downtown environment, where you have lots that were created and buildings that were created long before building codes or land development codes, it gets hard to try to recreate that environment with current codes," Godbey explained. He said his team worked with the Southwest Missouri Council of Governments, also known as SMCOG, to develop the proposed overlay district.
The overlay doesn't replace current zoning, just adds an additional layer. It would allow for flexibility with things like setbacks and parking requirements. It will also allow for additional uses including mixed commercial and residential use.
Godbey emphasized that the proposed overlay district border does include some single-family residences, but they will not be affected. He added that they would expect to amend the overlay district overtime, as they receive feedback from business and property owners.