MARBLE HILL, Mo. -- Marble Hill's Planning and Zoning board last week learned a mass rezoning is in the works.

City administrator Tammy Whitney told the group the Southeast Missouri Regional Planning and Economic Development Commission is reconfiguring the city map which has not been updated in more than two decades. Because of some annexations and change of property use because of flood buyouts, much of Marble Hill needs to be rezoned.

The board also needs to take a second look at what it will allow in the various zones. Board member Gary Shrum recalled that years ago the city was trying to encourage people to build homes in the city residential areas.

In addition, Shrum said, it also is becoming apparent that Marble Hill is not going to be a magnet for large industry that will need large commercial zones.

"We have to look at tourism, recreation and small business," he said.

The city also should look at allowing small businesses to flourish in residential areas, Shrum said. In Marble Hill, the Mustard Seed boutique is a small business in a residential area.

Allowing businesses in residential areas will only benefit the city, Shrum said, because the city would be able to collect sales tax revenue from small businesses. Building residential areas is not profitable for the city since it no longer collects real estate taxes.

Still, it is not easy to put a small business in a residential area, even if the residential area has housed a business for more than 20 years. Todd Stroder of Dexter, Mo., is finding that out in his effort to turn the former Winford Brown Insurance building into a drive-through restaurant. For 21 years, the insurance company operated at its Third Street location, which is zoned residential.

Stroder and his wife are trying to buy the property so they can open a barbecue restaurant with a full line of ice cream flavors with limited seating, a privacy fence, a walk-up window and a drive-through. Stroder was told he needed to bring to the city letters from neighbors stating they have no objection to having a business in a residential zone.

"It needs to be zoned commercial," said Alderman Kenneth Trentham, who also sits on the planning and zoning board. "We have to make sure the neighbors have no complaints."

The process may take several months of gathering support from the neighbors, holding public hearings and seeking approval from the board of aldermen. Stroder said he plans to open his business later in the summer. Still, he wondered, "It's been used as commercial for 21 years?"

Once the new city map has been drawn and rezoned, the zoning board and the city aldermen will hold hearings and make a mass zoning change. Until then, anyone wanting to open a business in a residential area must go through the process to seek a zoning variance, as Stroder is doing.

Pertinent address:

Marble Hill, Mo.