On Monday, University Park moved a step closer to addressing Snider Plaza's shortcomings when the city's Planning & Zoning Commission voted 4-1 to approve a master plan for the shopping center.
How much Snider will actually change is uncertain, but for the first time in its 80-year history, there is a proposal and momentum to rejuvenate the center.
"What we've got here is a starting point to build from," commission member Reed Shawver said before the vote. "We need to start somewhere."
Mr. Shawver, Doug Roach, Randy Biddle and commission Chairman Robert West voted for the proposal, which was developed by Townscape Inc., a local urban planning firm. Bill Foose voted against it.
The commission doesn't have the final say in the matter, but its decision carries substantial weight with the City Council, which must approve all development plans. The council is expected to consider the proposal in four to six weeks.
Public comments weren't taken during the meeting.
City leaders have said they don't want to turn the plaza into another Mockingbird Station, but they readily admit the center needs work. With the potential development of the Chase Bank site on the plaza's southernmost edge and ongoing development in the surrounding residential area, city leaders say they need firm plans to preserve the area's charm.
Snider Plaza opened in 1927 with street lamps, a central fountain and one small business, the Ralph Porter Real Estate Agency. The first strip of shops opened in 1929, featuring the Spanish-style Varsity Theatre that showed "talkies."
Past city leaders have tried and failed to develop a master plan, partly because unlike Highland Park Shopping Village or NorthPark Center, Snider Plaza has multiple owners.
Dennis Wilson, a principal with Townscape Inc., has said the document is a strategy to move forward while preserving the plaza's charm.
One long-term recommendation includes reclaiming the center space now used for parking and redeveloping it as a gathering space with shade trees, kiosks, outdoor tables and food service. All but a few parallel parking spaces would be moved underground, and any new development would be limited to specific materials, dimensions and colors.
