Pacific aldermen begin review of petition to annex 584 Katie Lane; residents urge lower density

The Pacific Board of Aldermen held a public hearing and on first reading introduced an ordinance to annex property at 584 Katie Lane and a companion ordinance to change the zoning map for the parcel.

Mike Gallagher, an investor who said he and partner Ray Gullett own the property, told the board they want to annex the site “so that we may move forward with the building of the subdivision.” Gallagher said lots in the developers’ plan would be “a minimum of 12,300 square feet, most up to 23,000 square feet,” and that the proposal is intended to produce single-family houses rather than other uses permitted by Franklin County.

The proposal prompted opposition from neighbors at the hearing. Kevin Doyle, who said he lives a few doors down, urged the board to “do it responsibly” and called 18 or 19 homes “entirely too much,” saying the development would be “too dense.” Robin Pritchett, who spoke on behalf of a longtime resident at 1874 Oak Ridge Summit Road, asked the board to require larger lots and recommended rezoning to a district that would keep lot sizes closer to surrounding properties; she suggested limiting the number of homes on the parcel “to no more than 8 to 10.”

Alderman Kelly asked the developers about conflicting social-media posts suggesting mobile homes might be placed on the site. Ray Gullett replied that posts were sarcastic and that, if annexed, the developers intend to build “12 to 1,500 square foot, maybe bigger” single-family houses similar to existing neighborhood homes. Attorney Stephanie Carr explained that the annexation petition was filed without conditions and therefore is not automatically tied to any rezoning outcome; the owner could withdraw the petition if the rezoning fails.

The board received the first reading of Bill 5264 (voluntary annexation petition filed by Large Investments LLC, parcel ID as read into the record) and the first reading of Bill 5265 (zoning map amendment to R-1B for an approximately 7.89-acre tract at Oak Ridge Summit Road and Katie Lane). Both bills were sponsored at introduction by Alderman Kelly and will return to the board for further consideration. Planning and zoning review and any required notices remain part of the process.

What happens next: The ordinances were introduced; no final votes on either annexation or rezoning were recorded at this meeting. The transcript records neighbors’ requests for larger lots, developer statements about proposed lot sizes, and the attorney’s clarification that annexation and rezoning petitions need not be legally linked unless the petitioner requests an annexation agreement tying them together.

Residents who testified asked the board to prioritize larger lots and fewer houses and raised concerns about traffic, tree loss and noise-buffering vegetation.