Washington’s City Council, during its meeting Monday, unanimously voted to change the zoning classification of 3.47 acres on 15^th Street Extension from a residential classification to a business classification.

The vote came after a public hearing on the rezoning request made by Granville Lilley, owner of the property.

The Planning Board, after discussing the request during a meeting earlier this year, recommended the council change the zoning classification from RA-20 (residential agriculture) to B-2 (general business). The property is adjacent to the fire station on 15^th Street Extension and the Cherry Run shopping center. The Planning Board determined that changing the zoning classification would be consistent with the city’s comprehensive land-use plan.

Property adjacent to part of the 3.47 acres is in the B-2 zoning district, according to a document submitted by Lilley.

“We’re just trying to blend in out there and get a zone that’s all the way around us, just about,” Lilley told the council. “We want to be ready if something comes. Probably, we should have done this several years ago. We’ve been trying to develop that land. The front of the property, I think, is already B-2 (business). We’re trying to get it all (B-2), so if something does come, it won’t take but a couple of months to get it done.”

The council also changed the zoning classification of 6 acres on Whispering Pines Road (adjacent to New Sunrise apartments) from its B-3 (shopping-center) designation to O&I (office and institutional).

The Planning Board, during a meeting earlier this year, discussed the rezoning request filed by Rea Ventures Group and recommends the council change the zoning classification of the vacant property, determining doing so would be consistent with the city’s comprehensive land-use plan. The property is owned by FF Acquisition LLC, which is based in Eden Prairie, Minn. The 6 acres is part of a 33-acre tract.

Rea Ventures Group develops single-family and multi-family residential projects.

“We’re requesting a rezoning that would effectively extend the O&I zoning there. Approximately a third of the property is O&I. We’re requesting to extend it, basically, the other two-thirds of the property to cover the full 6 acres. We’re not aware of any opposition to the rezoning application,” said Sean Brady, spokesman for Rea Ventures Group.

Documents associated with the two rezoning requests did not provide specific details concerning proposed uses for the two properties.