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Elk Grove is looking to redefine Old Town — starting with its name and extending to the types of businesses allowed to open there.
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City staff presented a proposed update to the Historic Main Street Special Planning Area on Wednesday that would give the district an official name — Historic Main Street — replacing the patchwork of labels, including Old Town and Old Town Elk Grove, commonly used to describe the area, while limiting future personal service businesses, including hair and nail salons, and some auto accessory shops.
The boundaries of the Historic Main Street Special Planning Area extend along Elk Grove Boulevard from Elk Grove Florin Road to Waterman Road. The area includes 200 parcels across 90 acres, according to city staff.
The proposed plan would ban new personal service businesses — such as hair and nail salons — as well as auto accessory businesses such as window tinting and detailing services.
The staff report said more than 20% of businesses in the area are personal service businesses and recommended limiting the number of permits to 12, reducing the current number by about two-thirds.
“This overconcentration within Historic Main Street can reduce the diversity of storefront businesses and limit opportunities for more vibrant retail, dining, entertainment, and other pedestrian-oriented uses,” the staff report said.
Existing personal service and auto accessory businesses would be allowed to continue operating as long as they do not expand their services or storefronts and do not discontinue operations for an extended period, according to the staff report.
Councilmember Kevin Spease, who represents north-central Elk Grove, said he supports updating the plan but questioned the proposed cap on salons.
“I am greatly concerned just from a capitalism perspective of capping uses just based on some arbitrary number,” Spease said.
City aims to diversify Historic Main Street businesses
The current regulations also limit the number of bars, wineries, breweries and brew pubs in the area to six. The staff report recommended regulating these businesses as separate categories — bars and nightclubs; restaurants and brew pubs; and wineries, distilleries and breweries — a change that could allow more alcohol-serving businesses overall.
“These uses can also encourage foot traffic, extend activity into the evening hours, activate historic buildings, support nearby businesses, and contribute to a distinctive sense of place,” the staff report said. “However, these uses, along with traditional bars, should be limited in their application to limit overconcentration and impacts to the adjoining neighborhood.”
The number of restaurants in the area is not regulated, and restaurants already are allowed to sell alcohol, according to the staff report.
The update to the Special Planning Area also included public outreach asking residents what type of “persona” Historic Main Street should reflect, according to the staff report. Options included artsy, family-friendly, historic, nightlife, relaxed and upscale.
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No single identity emerged as a clear favorite, with elements of each receiving support.
The artsy and family-friendly personas received the strongest support, while the nightlife and relaxed personas received mixed reactions, and the upscale option was the most hotly debated, according to the report.
“Preserving historic buildings was consistently identified as a priority because they provide a unique identity for Historic Main Street and the city,” the staff report said.
Residents also repeatedly identified traffic congestion and train crossings as key concerns.
Other proposed changes to Historic Main Street
The proposal would also move approval of murals to the zoning administrator from the Planning Commission to streamline the review process. Murals would still receive review from the city’s Arts and Creative Economy Commission before final approval, staff said.
The city’s Historic Preservation Committee also recommended adding signs and monuments along Elk Grove Boulevard to mark entrances into the historic district, according to the staff report.
Councilmember Rod Brewer, who represents the historic district and other parts of southeast Elk Grove, said he looked forward to continuing discussions with the community about the future of Historic Main Street while preserving its historic character.
“We’re not doing this in a silo. We’re doing this together,” Brewer said. “We’re hoping that we can solicit additional comments from the folks that live in Historic Elk Grove to help make everything fit within the bigger picture of Elk Grove in the long term.”
The historic area was first governed by a special planning document adopted by Sacramento County 15 years before Elk Grove incorporated in 2000. The plan has been updated several times since, according to the staff report.
The update is being funded by the city’s Community Development Department, according to Senior Planner Kyra Killingsworth.
City staff will prepare a draft of the updated Special Planning Area document and present it to the public, the Historic Preservation Committee and the Planning Commission before asking the City Council to adopt the plan and related municipal code changes within the next year.
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