Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Fremont Rezone topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Committee reviews Bellwether proposal to rezone former Greenwood Boys & Girls Club site for affordable housing
Summary
Committee staff briefed members on a quasi-judicial rezone petition in Greenwood that would facilitate a 53-unit affordable housing project on a parcel sold by the Greenwood Boys & Girls Club to Bellwether Housing.
The Land Use Committee received a staff briefing Monday on a petition to rezone a roughly 34,654-square-foot parcel at 8601 Fremont Avenue North in Greenwood from Single Family (SF 5000) to Low Rise 2 with an M1 Mandatory Housing Affordability suffix. The site was sold by the Greenwood Boys & Girls Club to Bellwether Housing, which plans a three-story affordable housing project the applicant architect presented to the record.
Lish Whitson, Council Central Staff, told the committee the application is a Type IV quasi-judicial rezone and the council's decision must be based on the record compiled by the hearing examiner. SDCI and the hearing examiner recommended approval with conditions; the hearing examiner held an open-record hearing in January and recommended approval with conditions.
The project proposed in the submitted materials would deliver 53 affordable units at 50/60 percent AMI, including two- and three-bedroom units, and 11 parking spaces. The application includes an M1 level of MHA (presented as a 100% affordable project, according to staff) and a property-use and development agreement (PUDA) will be part of any ordinance effectuating the rezone.
Committee members asked whether members of the public testified at the hearing examiner's public hearing. Whitson said SDCI received public comment focused on loss of the play field formerly used by the Greenwood Boys & Girls Club; no one testified at the hearing examiner's open-record hearing. Whitson added the Boys & Girls Club remains across the street and Greenwood Park is nearby.
Council members also asked about tree impacts. Whitson said six street trees will be protected through construction; the site contains few existing trees but the proposal includes planting roughly 58 new trees. One interior tree along an alley will be removed; that tree had not been designated an exceptional tree under older code criteria.
The applicants requested a conditional provision, reflected in the hearing examiner's recommendation, that would allow them to use higher zoning levels if the property becomes rezoned with a higher density as part of a future comprehensive plan update.
If the committee wants to approve the rezone, Whitson said next steps would include adding findings, conclusions and a decision to the clerk file and recommending a council bill that would change the zoning map and include a PUDA with conditions. Staff indicated the council must act on the rezone application by April 29 under code time limits.
Why it matters: The rezone would permit an affordable housing project in Greenwood and was recommended for approval with conditions by the hearing examiner. Committee scrutiny focused on tree protection, neighborhood open space loss and the timing of council action.
What's next: Draft findings, conclusions and a council bill will be prepared for the committee's next meeting. Any formal council action will depend on committee direction and the council's schedule.
