The Portage City Common Council held a first reading Tuesday of Ordinance 25-33, which would change the zoning at 2240 Christman Road from R-2 (low-density residential) to R-4 (city-core residential). Councilwoman Vasquez read the ordinance title as required for introduction.

Why it matters: the rezoning could allow denser residential development at a site near existing homes and a church, prompting neighbors to ask the council to weigh traffic, safety and environmental concerns before the rezoning is acted upon.

During the public comment period, resident Roberta Spaldjorek of 2212 Christman Road told the council she understood Habitat for Humanity planned to build eight homes on the site and asked the council to oppose that plan because driveways would face Christman Road or Portage Avenue and because of alleged soil disturbances when the former school was demolished. "Some of our residents have tried to back out of their driveways and have been hit from speeding cars going down Christman Road," Spaldjorek said, and she urged council members to consider traffic and potential contamination risks.

Mayor Austin Bonta told Spaldjorek the zoning change is only the first step; state law requires the ordinance to have a reading and then wait until the next council meeting for a second reading and a vote. The mayor and other council members said a zoning change does not itself authorize construction; further steps — including site review, potential remediation and conditions — would be required before building could proceed. The mayor noted he could not confirm what IDEM filings existed regarding demolition or remediation and said the city will review what was reported.

The mayor also clarified property-management questions raised during public comment: a church has occasionally used the adjacent property for parking under a waiver with the city, but the city, not the church, maintains the land. He told the resident he plans to walk the neighborhood before the August meeting when the ordinance would come up for a vote and encouraged neighbors to attend and seek more detail from Habitat for Humanity representatives present in the audience.

Next steps: Because this was the ordinance's first reading, the council will hold a second reading at its next regular meeting before taking a final vote; the mayor said he expects the item to be considered in August. The council did not take a final vote Tuesday.

Ending: Neighbors who want updates or to raise concerns were invited to the next meeting and to contact the mayor's office for details about testing, remediation and traffic analysis that would accompany any subsequent site review or development proposal.