Petitioner requests continuance on rezoning and subdivision at Fifth Avenue East after public concerns

A petition to rezone 104102 Fifth Avenue East from SFR-1 (single-family residential) to MR-1 (mixed residential) and to subdivide the 0.83-acre parcel into five single-family lots was continued by the Planning and Zoning Commission on July 21.

Staff described the site as part of the Traditional Neighborhood Edge (TN2) character type and said the applicant supplied a preliminary site plan after the packet was posted. The proposed lots would range roughly from 6,600 to 7,200 square feet, and the petition included variance requests and a requested waiver related to half-street improvements and sidewalks on 20 First Street East.

Engineering recommended minimum improvements of two 10-foot travel lanes on the frontage; the petitioner later told the commission the developer would remove the half-street improvement waiver and commit to constructing the half-street and sidewalks on 20 First Street East. Petitioner’s representative said they would supply curb, driveway and buffering details if the commission continued the case.

Several neighbors spoke: Laurel Drake (neighbor across 20 First Street East) and Linda Parsons, representing Forest Lake Neighborhood Association, urged more detailed plans and asked the commission to respect the framework zoning map and the neighborhood’s adopted plan. Neighbors raised concerns about lot scale, drainage and the loss of mature buffer trees; one neighborhood representative urged the commission not to undermine the city’s recently adopted framework map by granting ad hoc rezonings.

After discussion, the petitioner requested a continuance to revise drawings, address half-street/sidewalk commitments, and supply more detailed buffering and stormwater plans. The commission voted to continue the companion cases Z1725 (rezoning) and S6325 (subdivision) to allow the petitioner to return with updated plans and more neighborhood outreach.