Fruitville Road East of East Avenue Takes Off - Spring 2002

The face of Fruitville Road east of downtown is finally evolving from sporadic residential to a future of low intensive office and community service headquarters.  The transition will take about three years, but by 2005 the change will be dramatic.  Why the wait?  The 1980s city plan for Fruitville Road required a minimum of one-acre lots for rezoning to office use. In the 1990s, the code was modified to permit smaller lots for office use. The revision addressed difficulties with assembling parcels, as well as a key market factor: Our business community is predominantly made up of companies with five or fewer employees. Smaller companies need smaller facilities, requiring smaller land parcels. The code adjustment makes redevelopment and in-fill a realistic opportunity along Fruitville Road.