P&Z Approves Special Zoning Designation For Highland Plaza

By Andrew Gorosko

As part of the ongoing redevelopment of the South Main Street site that formerly held The Fireside Inn, the Planning and Zoning Commission (P&Z) has approved a special zoning district within which the Highland Plaza retail/restaurant complex would be created.

Following a November 15 public hearing, P&Z members unanimously approved creating Special Development District #1 (SDD) as part of the Highland Plaza project, under the provisions of the South Main Street Village Design District (SMSVDD) zoning regulations.

Last July, after several years of discussion, P&Z enacted the SMSVDD zoning regulations to more tightly control commercial design on frontage lots located along South Main Street, in order to preserve the area’s New England visual character.

The SDD aspect of SMSVDD zoning is a regulatory mechanism that allows the development or the redevelopment of a commercial site along South Main Street to be tailored to the characteristics of that individual property, provided that the P&Z and the applicant agree on the specifics of the project.

Highland HC, LLC, proposes an almost 60,000-square-foot complex for the 121-125 South Main Street site, which is in a B-2 (Business) zone.

Highland has been reconstructing the former Fireside Inn building, which would hold new retail/restaurant uses. An as-yet unnamed restaurant is planned for the section of the building nearest South Main Street. The renovated Fireside Inn building encloses about 33,000 square feet of space.

Two additional structures are proposed for the eight-acre property. A new 22,000-square-foot building would hold retail space. A new 3,000-square-foot building situated in a parking lot would hold a bank.

In approving Highland’s SDD zoning rules, P&Z is seeking to foster a retail business complex with mixed uses that is in harmony with the immediate area in terms of appearance and size.

In approving the SDD zoning for Highland, P&Z members listed a broad range of potential uses for the site. These include banks, business offices, medical and dental offices, restaurants, museums, galleries, grocery stores, child day care centers, schools, elderly day care centers, senior centers, teen centers, places of assembly, retail stores, personal services businesses, printing and publishing establishments, conference centers, meeting halls, delicatessens, cafes, and storage facilities. 

The SDD rules also specify various physical dimensions for the site, as well as rules for commercial signs and for site lighting, among other details.

Highland has yet to receive other approvals from the P&Z, which would be needed for the firm to complete the redevelopment project. Other aspects of the project, including zoning map changes and site development plans, are slated for discussion at a P&Z public hearing scheduled for December 6.

The Fireside Inn was a popular restaurant, banquet hall, and catering facility, which closed for business and was sold in 2006 for redevelopment.