On Monday, the department revealed changes to its original plan meant to assuage concerns raised by property owners and residents over the past several months. A frequent concern that city staff members said they heard was whether the changes did enough to protect historic buildings, particularly along Franklin Street.

Originally, the department recommended rezoning Franklin and loosening height restrictions on the street. Some worried the prospect could result in new construction dwarfing the historic buildings that line the street, or lead to their eventual demolition as land values rose and developers ran out of vacant lots on which to build new mid- or high-rises.

As a compromise, the planning department recommended — and the commission endorsed — maintaining current zoning on Franklin Street that allows for residential and office uses. But it also proposed amending the existing zoning ordinance to forbid parking lots as a primary use.

Much of the area will remain zoned B-4, which allows residential and commercial uses. In response to feedback it received, the department also amended its original plan to scrap a provision of the city’s designation that has functioned as a de facto height restriction by requiring taller buildings to be set back further from the street.