by Leslie Lytle, Messenger Staff Writer

“The key to a vibrant downtown is enough houses and enough rooftops,” said Monteagle Alderman Nate Wilson introducing the discussion on “rethinking” C-1 commercial zoning ordinances regulating development on Main Street and the neighboring residential area. Monteagle received a Lyndhurst Foundation grant to use zoning as a tool to spur downtown development. For the past six months, a committee composed of city officials and residents met with consultants from Inc Codes, an Atlanta based firm specializing in zoning reform to encourage infill development in small to medium size communities. Distinct from C-2 and C-3 highway commercial zoning, Monteagle’s downtown corridor from the Assembly to Monteagle Elementary School is currently zoned C-1. Inc Codes recommendations, if adopted, will be incorporated in the town’s ordinance. “What is zoned C-1 is not changing, but what you can do there is,” observed Elizabeth Williams, Inc Codes architect and city planner.

Inc Codes, a name derived from “incremental codes,” stresses the importance of infill. “Right now the lowest residential density is close to Main Street. We’re trying to flip that,” Williams said. Infill would facilitate commercial growth and help remedy Monteagle’s housing shortage. The goal is a vibrant, walkable downtown corridor, a 10-20 minute half-mile walk, accomplished by small lot platting. Each lot with a business means tax revenue, explained Inc Codes Eric Kronberg who calls himself a “zoning whisperer.” Equally important, small lots mean lower purchase and building costs for developers. Inc Codes recommends no minimum lot size, a maximum lot width and depth to encourage smaller lots, a maximum 8,000 square feet building footprint, and a minimum 650 square feet footprint.

The proposed downtown district extends several blocks north and south of Main Street, but Kronberg noted the boundaries could expand. “Zoning should be a living, breathing thing,” he insisted. On Main Street, instead of a required front setback from the property line, Inc Codes proposes a “supplemental zone” for streetscape, with rules about the distance from curbs, sidewalks, and street side parking. Building on the front of lots is encouraged with parking in the rear, and the front of buildings should face the street.

A two-block segment facing the north side of Main Street and three-block segment facing the south side would be designated as “Primary Main Street” and would not allow residences on the ground floor at the front of the lot. Residences at the rear of a lot or on the second floor would be allowed, but Kronberg pointed out second floor residential construction was costly. Zero lot line building would be allowed, but Kronberg again cited the expense as prohibitive. As is the case now, the maximum building height would be three stories or 40 feet. Both new commercial and residential construction would have rules governing fenestration, i.e., how much of the front facade needed to be windows.

Constraints confronting Monteagle include water and sewer availability and Main Street being a state highway. Wilson expects a public meeting in the near future to address Monteagle’s water and sewer needs. Tennessee Department of Transportation rules and plans impact Main Street planning and development. Citing one problem, Kronberg said Main Street was not a good place for bike lanes and was dangerous for cyclists, whereas streetside parking would be far more beneficial. “You need to work on TDO,” Kronberg suggested.

Summing up goals, Williams said, “The purpose and intent is to encourage a walkable, vibrant Main Street serving adjacent neighborhoods. Affordability is really important and cultivating a sense of place, building on existing assets. Affordability is about people being able to build densely and to build small, so we’re allowing smaller lots and smaller units. We want to make it easier and more desirable to develop in the downtown area instead of just on the edges and to have a clear code that is easy to use with a streamlined permitting process.”