Page A-18 - Mason County Journal - Thursday, Aug. 14, 2014
continued from page A-1
Street to the north, Seventh
Street to the west, First
Street to the east, Cota Street
to the south, and also south
of Cota Street between Third
Street and First Street to
Goldsborough Creek.
Uses allowed in the down-
town zone include most types
of retail, financial business-
es, barber and beauty shops,
restaurants (without drive-
throughs), churches, offices,
delis, drug stores, laundro-
mats, florists and social ser-
vices. Not allowed in the zone
are auto repair and recon-
ditioning shops, auto sales,
auto services, gasoline sta-
tions and retail lumber yards.
In late 2013 and earlier
this year, the city's Commu-
nity and Economic Develop-
ment Department hosted
three forums on legal non-
conforming uses in the down-
town zone and how to address
them.
The proposed zoning
changes are "minor," said
Jason Dose, the city's senior
planner.
"We're just cleaning up a
few things we noticed," he
said.
The proposed zoning
changes in the downtown
zone include:
• Allowing for some auto-
oriented uses -- such as re-
conditioning, painting, up-
holstering, repair, service
and sales -- to be considered
with a conditional use permit
in the areas south of Grove
Street and east of Second
Street. Those types of busi-
ness are now considered legal
nonconforming.
• Allowing eating and
drinking businesses with
drive-throughs, if the busi-
ness has frontage along First
Street/Olympic Highway
South.
• Allowing machine and
welding shops to be consid-
Journal photo by Gordon Weeks
The former Mell Chevrolet building at Grove Street and First Street, in an area once known as Shelton's "Auto Row,"
would be allowed for auto-oriented uses, including painting, upholstering, repair, services and sales, under a proposed
downtown zoning change. The building has been vacant for four years.
ered within the general com-
mercial zone through the con-
ditional use permit process.
City staff noted that one ma-
chine shop exists within the
zone, and such businesses are
similar to automotive repair
businesses allowed within
the zone.
• Allowing retail lumber
yard uses in the general com-
mercial zone with a condi-
tional use permit.
All three commissioners
said they agree the rules
need to be clarified in the
downtown zone.
"It gives the people who
want to occupy these build-
ings some assurance," said
Mayor Gary Cronce. He add-
ed, "This should fit right in,
hopefully, with the downtown
visioning."
During a lively, two-hour
city open house on the zoning
proposals in November, many
versions of a pedestrian-
friendly downtown district
emerged.
Among the suggestions
were establishing timber and
vintage car museums, adding
parking lots, moving the his-
toric Tollie locomotive from
Railroad Avenue to across
the street from Kneeland
Park, and banning or sunset-
ting storage units within the
district.
"(The proposed ordinance) gives
people who want to occupy these
buildings some assurance .,. This
should fit right in, hopefully, with
the downtown visioning."
Gary Cronce, She~ton mayor
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