ROGERS — An expansion of the city’s overlay district could help dress up the entrance to downtown in the near future, city officials said.
The proposal calls for extending the district northward from Olrich Street to Walnut Street.
“We’ve been talking about this expansion for some time. A couple of aldermen suggested now might be the time to consider the issue,” said Derrel Smith, city senior planner.
The overlay district is designed to protect and enhance the scenic quality of highways passing through the city, according to a city ordinance.
“Over the long term, including Eighth Street from Olrich to Walnut will give us the opportunity to improve what a driver sees entering the city. If city officials agree to change the boundary lines, it will have no effect on existing businesses, but will have an effect on businesses that change hands, or build along that corridor,” Smith said.
At A Glance
Public Hearing
A public hearing on proposed changes to the Rogers overlay district is scheduled for 3 p.m. Jan. 7 in Council Chambers at City Hall, 301 W. Chestnut St.
The overlay district includes additional requirements regarding lot size, setbacks, signs and landscaping, city officials said.
Mark Kruger, alderman, said expanding the overlay district provides some important tools.
“It will allow us to have a plan in place that will help make the entrance from the south look better in the future than it does now,” said Kruger, one of the aldermen requesting the change.
Connie Gray, owner of Cash Village Shopping Center in the 400 block of Eighth Street, isn’t sure expanding the overlay district is a good idea.
“City officials have good intentions when approving changes, but the changes can do more harm than good,” Gray said.
The additional restrictions and regulations a city places on businesses can make it more difficult for a business to open or stay in business, she said.
Gray said she hopes the city will notify every business owner about the proposed change before making any decisions.
“Years ago we supported the overlay district when it was established and still do,” said Raymond Burns, chief executive officer and president of the Rogers-Lowell Area Chamber of Commerce.
“We need to make the entrance to downtown more attractive,” Burns said. “The better the entrance looks, the more people it attracts, which helps local merchants.”
“This is a long-term solution to make the city more attractive to residents and visitors. I wish we had a short term solution, but we don’t. As businesses change and investors see the improvements being made, the more likely they are to invest in the community,” Burns said.
The proposed expansion of the overlay district couldn’t have come at a better time, Burns said.
“We have a major city-wide study scheduled to begin next year to improve economic development of the region, along with a downtown development plan to improve the economy and livability downtown. The overlay district could play a part in one or both studies,” Burns said.
The existing overlay district boundaries run along Walnut Street from 28th Street to Interstate 540; along Eighth Street from Olrich Street to the south city limits; along Hudson Road from the east to the west city limits; along Locust Street and Prairie Creek Drive from Second Street to the east city limits; along New Hope Road from Dixieland Road to I-540; along I-540 from the north to the south city limits; and Pleasant Grove Road from Eighth Street to Bellview Road.
The district includes highway frontage and property within 330 feet of the right of way.