Providence council pauses Timberbrook rezone after wide neighborhood debate

Providence City Council on July 16 voted unanimously to table consideration of Ordinance 05-2025, the Timberbrook rezone request, and give the applicant time to return to the city after being out of the country.

The item drew more than an hour of public comment and council discussion. The applicant, Jaden Smith, who identified himself as representing Timberbrook Homes and the landowner, argued the R-1-6 (R-16) zone fits the city's general plan and would allow 10,000-square-foot single-family lots as a transition from nearby higher-density parcels. "The general plan has a through street. . . R-16 has always been planned for this area," Smith said.

Opponents at the meeting focused less on density and more on whether the development would create a through street from the existing dead-end 325 West. Doug Snow, who said he lives on 325 West, told the council he supports new homes but asked the city and developer to find a way to preserve his street's quiet character by converting the connection to a cul-de-sac or providing a walkway to the adjacent park. "My only issue is, can we make that not a through street?" Snow said.

Resident…