Neighborhood planning gave the vision and direction for these land use changes to happen but deferred the specific Land Use Code actions to Station Area Planning. Another reason is to provide predictability now for property owners and the community so you can make decisions about the long term use of your properties while final Light Rail design is underway. Rezones are intended to direct future development in ways that reflect the neighborhood's long-term vision and City policy for the area.
New development takes several years to permit, finance and construct.
Although light rail will not be running until 2009, residential and commercial buildings that will be built at that time will be governed by zoning and other regulations that will have already been in effect. Consequently, it is important to set the development character now, rather than later. Establishing a station area overlay doesn't change any of the existing zoning criteria. Rather, it is meant to help pick the most appropriate designation for a particular area. The City Council uses the same criteria for rezoning in station areas as they do in any other area of the city.