Corner of Ventnor and Portland avenues.
VENTNOR The Planning Board will consider rezoning three properties near the Ventnor Avenue commercial district to spur economic development. The subject area is currently zoned residential, but has commercial uses on the parcels.
The change would be to extend the commercial zone that already exists on the west (Margate) side of Portland Avenue eastward to include the medical office, NovaCare site and the OceanFirst bank across the street.
City Commissioner Lance Landgraf said the city has been approached by a potential developer interested in doing something the area.
The remainder of the block between Portland and Sacramento Avenue is zoned residential with a multi-family brick building and a single-family residence.
The approach was, this area is zoned residential with two commercial uses on it. It would need use variances to put any new type of commercial uses on either one of those properties. So, the thought was to have the Planning Board take a look at those properties to see if we should rezone them to match the same zoning going south, Landgraf said at the July 30 Planning Board meeting.
When the buildings were approved for commercial use they had to obtain use variances, Landgraf said.
The board agreed to have city Planner Roger McLarnon review the sites and report back at a future meeting.
This story has been revised from its orginal version.
