Rich Hively with the Nitro Development Authority asked Nitro City Council on Tuesday night to consider adopting an ordinance that will allow people to live and work from the same place.
Mixed-use buildings are sprouting up across the country, Hively said.
Mayor Dave Casebolt agreed the idea needed further exploration. Council plans to study other cities' mixed-use building ordinances.
The move would allow business owners to reduce costs by taking up residence in the same space they conduct business if they wanted, Casebolt said.
He added some people may only be able to buy and run a business if they can also live in it.
The concern is what can you allow and not allow, Casebolt said. That could get complicated, he said.
"We are not looking at putting a chemical plant in the middle of a residential area," Hively said.
Hively is working with a business man who would like to move to the city, open up a photography studio and live in the same space, he said.
"These are small businesses," Hively said. "[Living where you work] is how it used to be - its kind of getting back to that now."
Casebolt said council will need to research other cities' ordinances before enacting any changes.
Also on Tuesday, Council established a committee that would evaluate plans presented last council meeting for modifications to the City Park.
The six-member committee led by Councilwoman Laurie Elkins is charged with figuring out how to pay for the estimated $4.5 million project. The committee will make recommendations to council on how to move forward.
In other business, council:
n Passed the third and final reading of an ordinance to issue $7.8 million of sewage revenue bonds for a project that will repair existing lines and add new ones to the city's system. The project is expected to start the first week of December
n Passed an ordinance that would repeal the city's maximum work age of 70, modify sick leave and annual leave calculation to hours following the Nitro Police Department's lead and, at Casebolt's request, remove the City of Nitro Mayor's authority to place or make a recommendation for a worker that could be or lead to nepotism.
n Approved minutes from the Nov. 3 meeting