Peabody City Council approves Rte 1 facelift

PEABODY-After a unanimous vote by City Councilors Tuesday night, a stretch of Route 1 North in Peabody is bound to undergo a major facelift, or so the Council hopes.Councilors approved a partial zoning change to the area that rests between the Carriage House Motel and the Golden Banana gentlemen?s club. The change comes as a request by attorney David Ankeles to reassign the parcels of land from a Designated Development District (DDD) zone to Business Highway (BH).Ankeles said the rezoning would allow for increased use of the parcels, which are now zoned with industrial parks and corporate offices in mind. He said that the current DDD designation has turned potential business owners away as it restricts them from opening restaurants, retails shops, etc. And, because of their small size, Ankeles added that even those interested in industrial use of the site are forced to turn away because of the density and 2 acre-area requirements associated with DDD zoning.Under the proposed BH zoning ordinance, however, such uses would be available without the hassle of acquiring a special permit and less restricting land requirements.?It gives the opportunity to develop (the parcels) more fully,” Ankeles said. “As it exists now, that?s impossible.”Ward Councilor Dave Gamache saw the request as yet another way to remove the “honky-tonk” reputation that Peabody?s Route 1 developed over the years. By approving the zoning change, which exempts adult businesses, if any current adult businesses were to go under, another one would not be allowed in its place.?This is the last piece of the puzzle,” he told the Council, suspecting that “in another 2-3 years, the entire Route 1 would be changed.”