Over 20 dedicated residents and business people participated in a Hillcrest community “mapping” workshop at the Joyce Beers Community Center Tuesday evening. Attendees included stakeholders on the plan update; Uptown Planners Mary Wendorf, Ernestine Bonn and Roy Dahl; Hillcrest Town Council chair Bruce Bielaski; local businessmen Alex Marin (Bamboo Lounge) and Stefan Chilcote (Urban Mo’s, Baja Betty’s & Gossip Grill); Hillcrest History Guild president Ann Garwood; Save Hillcrest president Susan Fosselman; Hillcrest Business Association director Benjamin Nicholls and president Nancy Moors all participated in this community event to gather neighborhood input.
The first exercise looked at current zoning heights vs. actual building heights in Hillcrest. There was a group consensus that building heights in the core area should be limited to no more than 65 feet with setbacks in the core area. Suggestions were for retail at street level with offices on the second or third floors and residential units above. Opinions leaned towards one or two stories along eastern University Ave. and Park Blvd. The Uptown District and Atlas Hillcrest were sited as projects that fit well into the community (but several added that Atlas lacked proper setbacks). If additional density is needed, the group’s consensus was to add it to the Scripps area with direct access from Highway 163.
The second exercise was to map potential historic and conservation districts. Bruce Coons, director of Save Our Heritage Organisation (SOHO) explained the difference. Identified areas were Third, Fourth & Fifth avenues between Robinson & Maple; Park Boulevard south of University; Marston Hills; Fifth Avenue between Robinson & Washington; and Seventh Avenue north of Upas should be considered as conservation or historic areas. The Hillcrest sign and the pergola in Marston Hills were singled out for historic designation.
The workshop was a combined outreach by the Hillcrest History Guild, the Hillcrest Town Council and the Hillcrest Business Association. Opinions will be shared with community organizations and forwarded to the city for use as part of the community plan update.
