Greenwood council hears neighborhood opposition and developer presentation on proposed 167-acre annexation; ordinance fails on 4-4 tie

The Greenwood Common Council held a public hearing on a proposal to annex and rezone approximately 167 acres south of the city and heard several residents urge the council to slow or change the plan. The developer, Arbor Homes, presented a concept plan and committed to several design and infrastructure measures, but the ordinance failed first reading on a 4-4 tie.

The annexation proposal, described in the ordinance as covering "approximately 167 acres located at 3481 South Pine Creek Road and 6400 Block Lehi Side North 125 West," would move the property from Johnson County jurisdiction into Greenwood and apply Greenwood's RN zoning district. Dominic Dyer of Arbor Homes said the concept plan envisions a mix of detached single-family homes with two product lines — a traditional "harbor" series and a ranch-style "destination" series — and a total site density of about 2.5 units per acre. Dyer said Arbor Homes had committed to preserving existing tree lines where possible, building perimeter and internal trails, completing a traffic impact study and coordinating required road or roundabout donations with the city.

Several nearby residents who spoke during public comment raised concerns about density, housing quality, traffic and drainage. Michael Beanhiser, who said he has lived on the nearby roads for 41 years, told the council the applicant's plan "is quite segregated in its design" and asked the council to "give serious consideration to maintain a back end zone of justification" or wait for a different plan. Alan Athena said he and neighbors worried that subdivision construction could affect existing field tile drainage and asked how tie-ins to subdivision sewers and drainage would be handled. Another resident said the homes proposed could reduce adjacent property values because the product mix looked like starter homes rather than larger-lot housing now common nearby.

Planning staff and the planning commission recommended approval with commitments. City planning staff reported the planning commission voted 6-0 in favor, and staff noted that the property is identified for future residential use in Greenwood's comprehensive plan. At the council public hearing, planning staff clarified that annexation and adoption of a fiscal plan do not equal final approval of site design: "voting approval of the fiscal report does not mean we're approving the annexation or the zone map change. It is... that you are in general agreeance with the impact that this would have on the city if it were to come here," said Mister Nelson (city staff).

During council deliberations, members approved two amendments to the ordinance: one that added a set of commitments from the petitioner (including the staff commitments shown in the staff report and an agreed name change) and a separate amendment to prohibit the use of vinyl siding on home exteriors in the development. Both amendments were adopted by the council. After amendment, the council took a roll-call vote on the ordinance as amended; the first-reading motion failed on a 4-4 tie.

Because the ordinance did not pass first reading, no final annexation or zone-map change was approved at this meeting. The planning commission's favorable recommendation and staff commitments remain part of the public record; any future action on the annexation would require the council to reintroduce the ordinance for another hearing and vote.

Votes and procedural notes in the record show the planning commission recommendation (6-0) and two council amendments passed before the final tie vote on first reading. The record does not show a final second-reading adoption or any implementation dates for the annexation because the ordinance did not advance.

The public hearing portion of the meeting included detailed resident questions about lot sizes, where the larger ranch homes would be located (Arbor Homes said the ranch-style units would be on the west side along Honey Creek Road), and concerns about preserving tree lines and agricultural character. Dyer said lot widths in the concept plan would include 55-foot and larger lots for portions of the development and 61- to 71-foot lots for others, and that stormwater would be handled with a detailed engineered drainage plan at the planning stage.

With the ordinance failing on first reading, the council took no further action to annex the property that evening. The planning commission and staff materials remain available to the council and public for any future reintroduction or revised proposal.