Neighbors, developer clash over gate at Fulkerson Cottages; council postpones decision

A planned gate at the entry between the Fulkerson Cottages senior housing development and Fulkerson Circle drew sharp objections from nearby residents Thursday, prompting the Liberty City Council to postpone action and ask the developer and neighbors to meet before the council’s April 14 meeting.

Spencer Thompson, manager of Fulkerson Cottages LLC, told the council he asked to amend the approved project to remove a fire/access gate: “What’s before the council this evening is simply a request to amend the preapproved plan for the project to remove the fire gate… We as applicant, as owner, would prefer not to build the gate for a number of reasons.” Thompson said the gate “slows down access to critical services” and that the city’s fire marshal had said they were “fine either way.”

Neighbors said they were surprised and upset by the developer’s request and by a recent letter stating the gate would not be installed. Resident Larry Stafford said he and others felt misled: “I do not like to be lied to. I think the residents in Fulkerson Circle and the surrounding neighborhood were lied to and scammed.” Sunell Kerner, whose driveway sits directly across from the proposed access, told the council she received a letter only days before the meeting and said traffic and safety were her chief concerns.

Staff and council discussion established a brief timeline: the rezoning for the project occurred in 2022, the final development plan was approved in 2023, and city staff said they were notified by the property owner in November (year not further specified) about the owner’s request to remove the gate. The council’s planning staff said the development is in a planned development (PD) district and that removing the gate requires an amended PD or amended final development plan under city code.

Council members said the notice process as relayed at the meeting fell short of what they expected: several council members said they had asked the developer to communicate directly with neighbors and that some residents had not received timely contact. The council president said, “We asked staff and we asked you to go back and talk to all the neighbors,” and that the council would not decide the matter that night.

Faced with impassioned neighbors and a developer who said most residents he had contacted preferred no gate, the council voted to postpone the item to April 14 and to direct staff to facilitate conversations between the parties. The vote to postpone was taken by raised hands and recorded as passed.

No final change to the development plan was adopted at the meeting. The council also noted that the fire department had requirements for gates (e.g., gate‑opening boxes) and that any gate would have to comply with those rules.