The city of Lemon Grove has launched a survey that asks residents to share their priorities for improving the downtown village district, and whether they would support increased high-density developments in the area.
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The city aims to revive a version of the Downtown Specific Plan that was originally proposed in 2018, but was shot down by officials at the time.
“The new Downtown Specific Plan is intended to stimulate several important changes to downtown,” a city report said. “These changes would provide for vibrant pedestrian friendly and transit-oriented neighborhoods in central Lemon Grove.”
The first community workshop where residents can learn more about the proposal and provide input will be held at the Lemon Grove Community Center on May 21.
The plan, first adopted in 2005, would quadruple the size of the downtown planning area, which would stretch along Broadway between Massachusetts Avenue to Washington Street and between state Route 94 and Central Avenue.
Notably, the proposal aims to pave new paths for redevelopment by altering the industrial zone to permit four- and five-story housing and mixed-use buildings.
The redevelopment would also create a new transit station to streamline traffic flow and create a “more pedestrian-friendly downtown atmosphere,” a city report said.
In 2018, officials were deterred by the scale and high-density aspects of the proposed updated plan, building on community concerns that the redevelopment would negatively reshape Lemon Grove’s character. At the same time, proponents said new housing and storefronts would draw families to the city and encourage foot traffic to local businesses.
According to a city report, the redevelopment plan was designed to be implemented over a 15- to 20-year period.
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