The Planning Commission gave the AJ Fletcher Foundation the OK to rezone two small pieces of property on Glenwood Avenue near Wills Forest Road.
Today, the Fletcher Foundation operates out of 909 Glenwood Avenue, known as the Fletcher House. The foundation purchased the adjacent property at 907 Glenwood Ave. and plans to use it primarily as office space.
The rezoning from Special Residential 30 to Neighborhood Business Conditional Use would bring the current office into compliance and allow for office space in the house next door.
While small businesses are generally not allowed in this district, 909 Glenwood Ave. was granted a variance in the early 1980s. Neighbor Jeanine Grissom said that the neighborhood supported the variance then because it was the only way to protect the historic home from being razed.
Almost 30 years later, Grissom said she is worried that if the rezoning is approved it would set a precedent for other property owners in the neighborhood who want to turn their homes into small businesses. She is also concerned about the lack of parking and the possible traffic increases that the new office would generate.
The foundation agreed to some conditions that prohibit any kind of housing or boarding and that the historical nature of the neighborhood be taken into consideration if the house were to be renovated or rebuilt.
The rezoning application will go to the city council next week for a final vote.
Council to Review Stanhope Center II
Next week the city council will hold a quasi-judicial hearing for a large-scale development on Hillsborough Street between Friendly Drive and Concord Street.
The mixed-use development will include 156 multi-family residential units, about 37,000 square feet for retail, about 12,600 square feet for restaurants, 43,000 square feet of office space and a 1,037-space parking deck.
While the preliminary site plan was presented to the Planning Commission, the nature of the project requires that it is approved by the City Council without recommendations from the commission.
The hearing will be held during the City Council’s regular meeting next Tuesday at 1 p.m.
