City plans Limelight District zoning changes

Eighteen months ago, as businesses along Lime Avenue and 12th Street began to work together on the concept of establishing a new business district northeast of downtown, the group wasn’t really on the city’s radar.

Now the city’s planning director is enthusiastic about the potential of what is now officially known as the Limelight District — and staff is working on a series of proposed regulatory changes in hopes of fostering growth in the area.

“Rather than just a kind of lifeless industrial area, we have the potential to create something special there,” Planning Director Steve Cover said.

The Limelight District is a concept that originated with Kim Livengood, who helps run The Bazaar on Apricot and Lime. Originally conceived in part as a branding opportunity for businesses in an easy-to-overlook slice of the city, conversations with planning staff have sparked a focus on how zoning code changes could create more activity in the district.

Cover said his department plans to present its proposed changes to stakeholders in the community one last time before making a presentation to the City Commission. Cover said the changes focus primarily on adjusting the regulations in the Industrial Light Warehousing district — which applies to many properties on Lime Avenue and 12th Street — to allow for a greater variety of uses.

Expanding the permitted uses would make it easier to open the types of businesses that already exist in the Limelight District, Cover said: bookstores, shops, brew pubs and more. Currently, ILW zoned properties are designed solely for light manufacturing, warehousing, storage and processing. Cover believes there’s consensus within the Limelight District that more traditional commercial activity is appropriate and welcome. He believes the changes could create a more dynamic district, extending from Lime and Fruitville to the area around Ed Smith Stadium.

Cover said conversations with businesses in the Limelight District sparked interest from the nearby Park East residential neighborhood. Cover characterized those conversations as positive and productive, stating Park East’s interest in creating more affordable housing could serve as a complement to the changes proposed for the Limelight District. Although regulatory changes are subject to City Commission approval, Cover said the community buy-in was a good sign.

“You don’t see this very often, where you have a residential and a commercial, industrial community looking to go in a similar direction,” Cover said. “You’ve got some real strong leadership there, and I think you’ve got a good shot at it.”

Livengood expressed gratitude for Cover’s interest in the Limelight District. She was hopeful the city could find a way to rewrite its rules to allow more flexibility in the area, both for businesses interested in moving in and those that are already there.

“We need them to support new ideas and opportunities for businesses to thrive,” Livengood said.

She said her vision for the Limelight District is to create an area that both residents and visitors recognize as one offering a healthy mix of shopping, dining and entertainment options. She hopes growth can lead to a more walkable district that serves as an amenity for the nearby residential area, building a strong sense of community in the neighborhood.

Cover said the commission likely won’t discuss the proposed revisions until after the November election. Still, both he and Livengood were enthusiastic about the prospect of fostering positive change in the district.