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1 Since the close proximity of businesses in the downtown provides a direct interaction amongst patrons, the 2 existing development provides a solid base to build on and an opportunity for additional growth. 3 In 2009,the city established a"Grow Zone"throughout the downtown commercial areas.In searching for a way to 4 reduce regulations and streamline the permitting process for businesses, an alternative set of standards were 5 developed for this area.Instead of the standard zoning approach,which prohibits any use not specifically allowed, 6 the Grow Zone standards instead allow nearly all uses and focus instead on the form new construction takes. 7 Where this form is compatible with the existing development pattern, not only does it add to the "destination 8 effect' of the downtown, but approvals can be made very quickly. Property owners seeking to make 9 improvements to a property within the Grow Zone may choose to either utilize the Grow Zone standards or stick 10 with the traditional approach. 11 With the infrastructure in the downtown area in need of maintenance,there is a need to increase the amount of 12 development,grow the tax base and get a higher return on the reinvestment in this infrastructure. 13 Highway 371 Corridor 14 Outside of the downtown,the Highway 371 corridor has developed in an auto-oriented pattern.For the most part, 15 this development is not tied to municipal utilities and,as such,has developed in a somewhat random distribution. 16 The corridor includes such variety as a church, a contractor yard, restaurants and storage units, amongst other 17 uses. There are areas where development is clustered together and other areas where there are large gaps 18 between enterprises. For the most part, most commercial properties are independent of each other,with their 19 fortunes minimally impacted (either positively or negatively) by neighboring commercial uses. The timing of the 20 realignment of Highway 371 has caused uncertainty for future development prospects along the corridor and has 21 further accentuated the boom/bust character of development in this area. Employment by Sector 900 4j i ,tib 800 -- --- 700 ` 0 2008 Total 600 0 2010 Total S00 - 400 300 200 100 �'A yy� es�� aJ5 SQ•� a��J a�c� � lac �c� 22 23 Employment DRAFT-November 2010 16 ) P a g e