City Council has approved an ordinance that changes development rules for a key site within the Country Club Plaza. The property, located at 4720 Jefferson Street (known as the Seville West site), has been vacant since part of the garage was demolished for a department store that never came.  That was in the fall of 2019.  Everything came to a halt during COVID and then, in spring of 2022, the agreement between Tuabman and Nordstrom to relocate fell through, leaving the lot vacant.

The ordinance increases the maximum allowable building height on the parcel to 275 feet and removes the requirement for a special use permit to include office space on the ground floor of the Country Club Plaza.

City officials say the changes are intended to encourage redevelopment of the site, which has long been considered underutilized.  With the new rules in place, the site can now accommodate larger, mixed-use projects that may include office, residential, and retail components.

Supporters of the ordinance, including Mayor Quinton Lucas and members of the City Council, said the adjustments are designed to make development more feasible and to attract new investment to the Plaza.

Next steps will involve monitoring proposals that come forward under the revised guidelines. Any project will still need to move through planning, design, and permitting processes before construction can begin. Community feedback and design considerations are expected to play a role in how future development takes shape on this prominent Plaza property.