Photo by Deb Gau An area including several businesses near Main Street and Minnesota Highway 23 in Marshall will be going through a zoning change.

MARSHALL — Another group of business properties in Marshall will be going through a zoning change — from a shopping center district to a general business district.

On Tuesday, the Marshall City Council voted to rezone an area including several businesses near the corner of East Main Street and Minnesota Highway 23.

Marshall Public Works Director Jason Anderson said the city is moving away from using the shopping center zoning category.

The zoning request came from a Marshall-based company, Vesta LLC, to rezone property at 1030 East Southview Drive, Anderson said.

“That’s at the corner of Minnesota 23 and U.S. 59/Main Street, by the Perkins property,” Anderson said. Vesta, LLC was requesting that the property go from a B-4 shopping center district to a B-3 general business district.

After getting the request, city staff expanded the area to be rezoned to include neighboring business properties. The area is where the Perkins restaurant, the Dollar Tree, the Avera Thrift Store and the Brau Brothers brewery are all located.

“The purpose of the rezone is, the B-3 district allows more uses,” Anderson said.

The area surrounding the property is already a general business district. He said the city is also generally moving away from using shopping district zoning, under its current comprehensive plan. “So, staff sees no problem with this request.”

The Marshall Planning Commission held a hearing on the request on June 14, and there was no opposition from the public, said council member Amanda Schroeder.

“There was nobody there with concerns, and it seemed like it made sense,” she said.

Council members voted unanimously in favor of the rezoning request.

Tuesday’s meeting was the second time this summer that the council approved a rezone for property in a shopping center district. In June, a proposal to change the Market Street Mall and neighboring properties from a shopping center district to a general business district also passed.

The request to rezone the mall property came from First Premier Bank of Sioux Falls, S.D. Marshall city staff said the bank wanted the mall to be rezoned for future development. In addition to the bank’s request, city staff said it would also be practical to change neighboring properties in the area around Hobby Lobby and Ashley Home Store to a general business district.

On Tuesday, the council also acted on a different zoning request — this one affecting property being looked at for the site of a large apartment and senior living complex. The request from the city of Marshall was to change an area west of London Road from a B-1 limited business district to an R-4 higher-density residential district.

At the council’s last meeting, they heard a proposal from Tapestry Companies to build a 60-unit affordable family apartment complex, and a 65-unit senior living complex on the property. A Tapestry representative said the developers would be applying for Minnesota Housing Tax Credit funding to support the construction of the project.

Anderson said the rezoning request for the property would leave a strip of lots zoned for single-family residences along London Road. This would help serve as a buffer between the single-family homes east of London Road and the apartment development, he said.

Council members approved the zoning request at Tuesday’s meeting.