Churchill Council on Monday approved new zoning regulations that will clear the way for the transformation of the former George Westinghouse Research and Technology Park.
The proposal, which established definitions and regulations for data centers, vape shops, and tattoo parlors, garnered the community’s attention earlier this month, with nearly 50 residents attending the hearing.
Property owner and site developer, Commonwealth Commercial Real Estate, presented the community with plans for a mixed-use development equipped with housing, grocery stores, a gas station, restaurants, an early childcare center and medical offices.
The 150-acre site has sat vacant since Westinghouse closed most of its operations in the late 1990s. A previous proposal, from Amazon to build a 2.9-million-square-foot distribution center, faced years of community pushback that ultimately led to a group suing in court. Amazon pulled out of the plan in 2022.
At a hearing on the zoning ordinance earlier this month, community members expressed concerns about plans to demolish the site’s existing historical structures and about the removal of trees along the property that play a vital role in stormwater containment.
“If the ordinance you are proposing had been worded this way in 2021, and if Amazon had not withdrawn its application and instead built the distribution center, it would just be a matter of time for that system to fail and cause serious flooding,” Churchill resident Cathy Bordner said during a May 4 meeting.
Residents also raised concerns about the lack of adequate traffic studies to assess increases in traffic along Beulah Road and the potential for excessive noise pollution from the new development.
Before moving ahead to break ground, developers will next need to apply for development and conditional use permits, both of which will include the opportunity for public comment.