By NICK GOSNELL
Hutch Post
HUTCHINSON, Kan. — The City Planning Commission approved an amendment to allow Research and Development work in additional areas of the City by a 9-0 vote Tuesday.
"The next step is that it will be going to City Council for their review and approval July 7," said Ryan Hvitlok with the City.
Research and Development has previously only been allowed in the industrial zoning districts as well as the public and institutional zoning district with a conditional use permit.
"Staff proposed and the Planning Commission recommended to the City Council that the ordinance would be changed to allow for research and development in our C-4 and C-5 zoning districts, so our special commercial zoning district as well as our downtown commercial zoning district."
The purpose for this is that research and development isn't just an industrial function anymore.
R and D used to be sort of thought of as these big industrial-type buildings," Hvitlok said. "Really, now R and D can be done, literally, right in an office building. We wanted to expand that and really allow for that to happen. That is a goal of our comprehensive plan."
Back in 2017 less than 3% of the jobs in the city were in the information field.