Now that plans for an apartment development in Spanish Town are on hold for the time being, residents of the neighborhood are looking at strengthening current zoning laws.
David Brown, a member of the Historic Spanish Town Civic Association, says the idea is to prevent issues like the controversial Capitol Lofts development from cropping up again. One of the things that will be looked at would be the height and density of developments. Developer David Slaughter announced he was pulling out of plans for Capitol Lofts last week. The project, which would have built luxury apartments overlooking Arsenal Park, had been strongly opposed by a significant number of Spanish Town residents. Many were concerned about demolishing seven rental homes to make room for the apartments, and how the design of the building would fit in with the city’s oldest neighborhood.
“We don’t want to make guidelines overly strict,” Brown says. “But we want to have a better defense.” Spanish Town is a patchwork of different zoning: commercial, single-family residential and multifamily. The idea is to preserve that eclectic mix, while developing zoning that encourages single-family residences. “We’re acutely aware that there’s a need for quality, affordable residential housing downtown,” Brown says. “But we have an interest in preserving historic structures.” The idea is to complete the revisions by spring.—Timothy Boone
