By Erica Solvig
The Cincinnati Enquirer

LEBANON - There could be some new types of tenants filling the historic homes along East Main Street in the future.

City Council voted 5-1 to rezone the street Tuesday. Councilman Ben Cole was the lone no vote. Councilman Matthew Rodriguez was absent.

The new zoning permits single-family homes, but also allows office and retail uses with two-family and multifamily uses on the second and third floors.

"I do not view the rezoning of this area as a detriment to (preservation). I envision businesses that maintain that historic preservation," Councilman Norm Dreyer said. "A strip mall is not what I envision. That will not happen."

Residents who live along the state route had asked for the rezoning earlier this year, saying they are fed up with the noise and traffic. If other uses were permitted, they argued they could make a profit on their homes.

According to East Main residents such as Rod Hilterbran, the only other way to resolve their situation was to reroute truck traffic.

"Unfortunately, we as a city have been unwilling to do that," he said Tuesday. "It takes blocking off the street, it takes moving state routes. ... The second-best step is what we're doing tonight."

Much of the rezoned property also falls within the East End Historic District. The planning commission still has to approve any new buildings as well as additions or demolitions.

Cole, who voted against the rezoning, said he has always felt the street should stay residential.

"There are ways to rezone into office space right now, if there were concerns that (residents) wanted to make their property more marketable and valuable," he said.

In other Main Street news, a reconstruction project is several weeks ahead of schedule. The next phase is expected to start in February, City Manager Pat Clements said. The project started in spring of 2002.

During the project, the two-mile stretch of road is being widened to three lanes, with the center being a turn lane. On-street parking will disappear, and utilities are getting upgraded.

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E-mail esolvig@enquirer.com