Rezoning bid for Orange Grove Road stalls at committee; forwarded to full council with no recommendation

A request to rezone property on Orange Grove Road for medium-density "missing middle" housing was debated at the Planning and Public Works Committee and left without a committee recommendation after a tie vote. The committee chair said he will forward the item to full council for final consideration.

Applicant Nathan Hertel, a residential builder, told the committee that the proposed rezoning would allow attached owner-occupied housing and help address local affordability by spreading high land costs across multiple units. Hertel said the 29407 ZIP code has few opportunities for townhomes and that detached houses have risen well beyond median incomes: "detached houses are now at $650,000," he said, arguing attached housing could create ownership opportunities for younger households.

Council members split on whether the parcel—s location next to a 61-unit apartment complex and a single access road constrained support for higher density. Several members praised the applicant's neighbor engagement and the idea of deed restrictions to preserve homeownership; one member said he would only consider a deed restriction of "at least 99 years" to maintain long-term affordability. Others raised concerns that filling every spare lot with attached units could harm existing quality of life and that a smaller-scope proposal might be more suitable.

A motion to disapprove the rezoning was made and seconded; members voting in favor of denial included the chair and three other members, producing a tie when the remaining members opposed the motion. The chair ruled that, because of the tie, he would send the matter to full council without a recommendation so the full body can decide with all members present.