The Board of Commissioners approved a rezoning application for properties at 3803 and 3815 Glenwood Road on Oct. 14, allowing a mixture of single-family detached and attached homes after a public hearing that included sustained community engagement.

Planning staff recommended approval subject to four conditions, including a minimum open-space requirement and transportation improvements. The staff substitute included a condition limiting the number of dwelling units; staff read a condition capping the project at 28 units and requiring no fewer than 20% of the site remain as open space (excluding stream buffers and floodplain). The applicant's team and a commissioner later stated the final approval motion should reflect a cap of 32 units; commissioners voted to approve the application as amended on the dais.

Supporters at the hearing said the developer met repeatedly with neighbors, revised the site plan in response to community input and proposed amenities such as a dog park, green space and improvements to an adjacent bus stop. Neighbors and residents who spoke in favor described an existing dilapidated home and illegal dumping on the site, and said development would halt blight and improve safety.

Opponents voiced concerns about tree loss, the scale and density of the project and additional vehicle trips on Ferris Drive and Glenwood Road. One resident said he would like a reduced unit count and more detailed community input on parking and traffic outlets. Several nearby property owners said they had worked with the developer and acknowledged revisions but still pressed for lower density and stronger protections for mature trees.

Outcome: The board approved the rezoning with conditions; the approved motion included a unit cap and required completion of parks and outdoor recreation areas before occupancy, as well as transportation improvements and recourse if the applicant later sought to increase unit counts. Planning staff noted that any major modification to unit totals would require a new major modification procedure.

Why it matters: Rezoning converts a wooded, underused parcel into housing with community amenities while raising typical tradeoffs about tree canopy, density, and traffic in a neighborhood with limited remaining undeveloped land.