Zoning change OK’d for Henderson park plan

Greg Harman

Wednesday, Oct. 4, 2000 | 10:38 a.m.

More than 300 barren acres along Interstate 215 scarred by a former gravel pit and concrete batch plant in Henderson may soon be transformed into a major commercial center with a park.

The Henderson City Council approved a request to change Hanson Aggregates' property north of the highway and west of Stephanie Street from primarily residential to commercial and high-density residential zoning.

Plans for 2 milion square feet in retail and commercial services and a 100-acre park with 40-acre lake may hinge upon the property becoming a redevelopment zone.

The council approved studying the option of creating a second redevelopment zone in the city that would encompass Hanson's property.

Mayor Jim Gibson was enthusiastic over the proposal, saying it represents a "classic use of redevelopment strategies."

As a redevelopment zone, all increases of tax revenue generated by the property over the next 30 years would go into a special fund to provide developers financial incentive to build within it.

Public hearings on the plan may begin in January.

According to a timeline provided by acting redevelopment officer Bob Wilson, Hanson Aggregates would remove its concrete and asphalt plants by December 2001.

Also on Tuesday, Henderson residents objecting to a proposed 2.2-acre office development near their homes failed to persuade the council that the project would make Horizon Ridge Parkway too commercial.

The council unanimously approved a request to convert the small lot at the southeast corner of Horizon Ridge Parkway and Sandy Ridge Avenue from low-density residential to commercial office, making room for 25,000 square feet of office space in two buildings.

The city leaders said they had little choice, given that power and water lines criss-cross the parcel, and their vote did not reflect a disposition for future rezonings.