The Fayette Board of Aldermen gave unanimous approval to a zoning request made by John Geha for recent construction in town. Another proposed zoning change could affect how downtown building owners create revenue from their properties, but the council noted several issues to a draft ordinance before making a change.

The city’s Planning & Zoning Commission notified the council that it agreed to a request by Mr. Geha to rezone a lot on Cravens Street from commercial back to residential. He had initially presented a request during the city’s previous meeting held on August 26.

The problem, noted some council members, was that the request was made after construction had taken place. Mr. Geha should have known to make the necessary request prior to building since he has developed other similar properties in Fayette, they said.

Southwest Ward Alderman J.B. Waggoner suggested a fine be levied in the future to prevent the issue from reoccurring. Other members agreed. The addition of a financial penalty will be further discussed at a future meeting.

Another possible zoning change is more complicated and will require a change to the current city ordinance regarding downtown buildings. Extensive work has been ongoing on two adjacent buildings on the southeast corner of the downtown square on Main Street recently purchased by Dusty Vogt. One of these buildings had been repaired by former owner Gene Gerlt last year after part of the back wall collapsed.

Mr. Vogt is asking the city to change the ordinance and zoning for downtown buildings to allow for short-term rentals (commonly referred to as Airbnbs) in the back portion of the street-level floors. The short-term rental space would only be allowed at the back of the building, not street-facing, and could allow proprietors to realize further rental income in the absence of retail or other commercial businesses.

At least a majority of the council appears to be in favor of the change. However, they couldn’t decide on details such as what percentage of the first floor should be reserved for business space, and how much should be allowed for short-term rentals. A draft ordinance before the council during last Tuesday’s meeting was written to allow for up to 25% of the space to be used for short-term rentals, with at least 75%, and no less than 500 square feet, kept for commercial or retail use. However, the council may change those details and further entertained a 70/30 split, as recommended by the Planning & Zoning Commission.

“Nobody’s been in there for 20 years,” stated Mayor Greg Stidham. “We’ve got a guy who wants to put money into it. He wants to put apartments upstairs and he wants to put a unit downstairs and that’s how he’s going to pay for it.”

The days of big retail stores downtown are over, the Mayor said. He cited the former Western Auto store formerly housed on the same block, and other large clothing stores that dotted the square during the 1970s and 1980s. “We’re not going to see stuff like that anymore. We need to look at things different than in the past.”

There are still a few procedural hurdles that must be cleared before the requested change could be made. Public hearings on this matter have also not yet taken place.

“We need to true-up the recommendation from Planning & Zoning to our ordinance, get that presented for our review. Then, we call for a public hearing. We can have it before the meeting, then at the actual business meeting we can have first and second readings at that time,” Waggoner said.

The Fayette Board of Aldermen meets regularly at 6 p.m. on the second and fourth Tuesdays of every month in City Hall. Meetings are open, agendas are published in advance, and the public is invited.