City Council beginning process to repurpose 7 acres on Main Street
The City of Newcastle has taken another step toward opening up Main Street land for retail development. A 2023 purchase of the land south of Fox Lane and east of Main Street was made in anticipation of developing it and offering it for sale to retailers.
If successful, it will provide a new area for businesses, and in so doing will aid the city in providing items and services needed for continued growth.
Another step in the process is now underway as the City has advertised by legal publication their intent to rezone seven of the 9.69 acres of land from Community Commercial District designation to a Planned Unit Development. By making the change, City leaders feel the area can be better designed and planned out by the Newcastle Public Works Authority.
The legal notice was published in the January 9 issue of the Newcastle Pacer, and explains that the rezoning will be further discussed at the Newcastle Planning & Zoning Commission meeting at 6 p.m. January 27, and then again at the February 10 City Council meeting.
Mayor Karl Nail told the Newcastle Pacer after the economic development purchase that it is a good deal for the City, for the landowners, and for the citizens of Newcastle.
He said, “The City has a significant number of retail users who are looking in the Newcastle area and a lot of the land has been very tightly held.”
He said some of the property owners have been reluctant to sell their property.
Nail said the City saw the land purchase as an opportunity to facilitate the development of that property.
He said by doing so, the City can create lots that are available to end users who are interested in coming to town.
“This will benefit the city long term by the City obtaining sales tax from these business entities,” Nail said.
He said, “The City is going to be deliberate about how we design this property to maximize it for the citizens. We’ll develop the plan, and then be ready when an end user is looking.”
