The Midlothian City Council on Tuesday unanimously denied a request to rezone the property at 615 North Seventh Street from commercial to light industrial. The 7–0 vote followed public comment from both the property owner and nearby residents who said the change would be inconsistent with downtown character.

Mary Ann Spencer, assistant director of planning, presented background on the property and said the comprehensive plan designates the site as part of the original town module and recommends nonresidential components remain walkable and oriented to the street. Spencer said the staff recommended denial because industrial zoning would be incompatible with the traditional neighborhood character; staff also noted a difference in permitted uses and lot-size and impervious-cover differences between commercial and light industrial zoning.

Applicant Linville Phipps told council he bought the property in February and believed the parcel historically carried an industrial designation; he said the 2022 rezoning to commercial had been handled by his previous attorney and he asked council to return the site to its earlier industrial zoning so he could market and lease the building. “That building was built as a mattress factory,” Phipps told the council, adding he saw the industrial zoning on adjacent parcels.

Nearby resident Gary Neaf spoke in opposition, describing the area as part of Old Town with historic homes and a pedestrian-oriented character. Neaf warned that light industrial zoning could allow uses that generate heavy truck traffic and said the property’s primary access is on two-lane local streets, which he said are unsuitable for industrial traffic.

Council discussion emphasized downtown character and the comprehensive plan’s guidance that industrial uses are not recommended in this module. Several council members noted the rezoning request would be a broad change in allowed uses and that specific commercial or redevelopment proposals can be evaluated on their merits, but that a blanket industrial designation was inappropriate for this location.

The council voted 7–0 to deny the rezoning request.