Berea council adopts District 46 Uptown PUD rezoning, incorporates landscaping and waiver exhibits

Berea City Council on May 19 adopted ordinance 4‑1A, approving DeGeronimo Development’s District 46 Planned Unit Development (Uptown PUD) and incorporating revised waiver and condition exhibits, the council clerk recorded. The substitute ordinance passed on a roll‑call vote after council substituted the original 4‑1 with 4‑1A earlier in the meeting.

The ordinance matters because the development covers multiple building types — including a hotel, a medical office building, apartment buildings, and parking — and because council action cleared a major regulatory step for subsequent tax and financing measures tied to the project.

Council members discussed updated exhibits that show the landscaping plan date and a list of requested waivers from the Planning Commission. Mr. Madzi, a representative of the developer, told council members and audience members that the plan does not call for acquiring additional private homes and that larger buildings have been sited further from existing residences. He said the design includes a safety fence along the common property line and directional lighting intended to minimize light spill into adjacent yards. A nearby resident who identified his address as 485–487 Pearl Street said he was concerned about how the change would affect his home; Mr. Madzi replied that the resident’s property would not be acquired.

Council member Mrs. Brown clarified that the rezoning applies only to District 46 and that properties outside that mapped district that are currently residential will remain residential. Council also discussed the small neighborhood playground within the project area; city officials said they would explore options for preserving or relocating play equipment but noted moving in‑ground equipment is not simple and any replacement would need an identified site and clear demand from neighbors.

The council substituted ordinance 4‑1 with 4‑1A on a motion by Mrs. Brown, seconded by Mr. Dozier, and later adopted 4‑1A on a motion by Mrs. Brown, seconded by Mr. Dozier. The roll call at adoption recorded affirmative votes from Brown, Coble, Dozier, McManus, Skoson, and Weaver; the ordinance was approved. Council incorporated Exhibit B (waivers updated to reference the most recent landscaping plan dated 05/12/2025) and Exhibit C (Planning Commission conditions) into the substitute ordinance as part of the approval.

Council members and staff noted that related tax and financing pieces remain under review: the council passed ordinance 5‑3a at the same meeting to permit the city to temporarily take title to certain parcels (a procedural step to enable tax increment financing), and the tax increment financing and school compensation agreements associated with the project remained on the agenda for future action.

The ordinance advances a multi‑phase development process; city and developer staff said additional design and permitting steps remain, and council members asked to be kept informed of playground, landscaping and buffering details as design documents are finalized.