Kathy Wells of the Downtown Neighborhood Association has confirmed a rumor I reported last week.
Businessman and Highway commissioner John Burkhalter has submitted a new plan to build an office building at Sixth and Woodlane across the street from the state Capitol. It would be a three-story building, rather than the five-story building he tried earlier. That plan failed because he could not persuade the Capitol Zoning District Commission to change its zoning rules to allow a five-story building on that spot.
A three-story building is allowed by right in the zone. Boyd Maher, director of the CZDC, told Wells that Burkhalter will make this building work by putting one floor below ground. The height limit is meant to preserve views of the Capitol.
The Capitol area advisory committee to the CZDC will consider Burkhalter’s proposal Jan. 18 and the full Commission could act on his permit request Jan. 25. Burkhalter had said earlier that he couldn’t afford to develop the property, which has low-rise offices currently, without a five-story development.
