Residents tell Centerville council general-plan outreach is inadequate; some oppose higher densities

Several residents used the Feb. 4 Centerville City Council open session to criticize the city's general-plan outreach and to urge caution on increasing housing density.

Rick Bingham, who said he lives at 290 East Casa Loma Drive, told the council the one-page survey accompanying a recent open house was "woefully inadequate" compared with an eight-page 2007 survey that yielded 638 responses. "You've got to have a sizable number of people responding to a survey in order to get any valuable information," he told council members.

Other speakers singled out promotion and notice as weaknesses. Craig Preston, who said he still receives his former city's email, told the council "it can be done" to notify residents more effectively. Council members and staff responded that privacy rules require residents to opt in for email updates, and noted the city provides a "Notify Me" sign-up on its website.

Some residents argued density and housing type are separate from the general plan itself. Dave Layton, who said in public comment that he voted for Council member Summerhays, urged the city to base any changes on valid demographic data and suggested a modest increase in higher-density housing but not a wholesale change. "I think as a whole we ought to continue with the same 83% [single-family] ... maybe as much as 20 or 25% should be high density housing but no more than that," he said.

Several speakers expressed concern about outside developers and investors. Brian Richmond said investors from outside Centerville "come here, buy a piece of land... build this project" and later said some recent developments have produced maintenance and warranty problems for buyers. Adjacent resident Shreya Fulton said her neighborhood's portion of the general plan calls for "a rural sense of community" and asked council to preserve remaining agricultural land.

Council members and staff said the general plan is a guiding document that does not itself set zoning density; zoning and density decisions are made later by the planning commission and the council when specific proposals are filed. Staff also noted that the city must annually report certain moderate-income housing strategies to the state and that the state's moderate-income housing rules require cities to consider a range of options. Council members said the planning process will include more outreach and that residents can use the online survey comment box to provide more input.

The comments reflect a mix of local sentiment: concern about outreach and communication, a desire to preserve neighborhood character, and recognition of statewide housing pressures that inform municipal planning.