Beresford holds first reading on rezoning 10–12 West Elm for five rental townhomes amid neighborhood concerns

Beresford City Council opened a public hearing March 3 and conducted the first reading of Ordinance 2025-04, a request to rezone Lots 10, 11 and 12, Block 24, Original Beresford City (111 West Elm Street) from single-family residential (R‑1) to multifamily residential (R‑2).

The proposal, presented by the project team, calls for five attached townhouses — each a two‑story, three‑bedroom, three‑bath unit with a single attached garage — intended to be rented rather than sold. The developer said the units are intended for “starting rental” in the mid range, with rents estimated at about $1,600 to $2,000 a month. “It’d be starting rental — mid range where most people can afford, but not low end,” Skyler, the project applicant, said during the hearing.

The nut of neighbors’ objections centered on safety, drainage and neighborhood fit. Several residents said the site sits near the main entrance to Beresford Elementary School on Fourth Street and that adding five driveways would increase pedestrian and vehicle interactions at student drop‑off and pick‑up times. “This is a high traffic area and is in close proximity to the main entrance of the Beresford Elementary School,” Mary…