Pryor Creek planning commission recommends rezoning at 28 Pine to allow triplex

The Pryor Creek Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend that city council rezone property recorded in Book 01/1946, page 200 (commonly referenced as 28 Pine) from residential duplex (R-D) to residential multifamily to allow a small triplex.

The recommendation came after a public hearing in which the applicant and neighbors spoke in favor of redevelopment and the city building inspector flagged potential access and parking issues. The commission’s recommendation now goes to the Pryor Creek City Council, which has the final authority to approve or deny the zoning change.

Applicant representative Ben Schafer described the proposal as a three-unit building with “probably somewhere around 800 square feet per unit, so about a 2,400 square foot” total building footprint, and said the project would include a small carport and on-site parking. Schafer said he expects the new housing to “pick up the property values and start enticing more people to build in that area.”

Kathy, the city building inspector, said the property’s vehicle access would use narrow Southwest Graham, a dead-end street. “My concern is when you go to a triplex … parking will become an issue,” she said, adding that the tight street could impede emergency vehicles such as fire trucks or ambulances.

Resident John Casper said he had spoken with another developer who is interested in building in the same neighborhood and said additional housing could help “rejuvenate that area.” John’s comments were framed as support for development but did not alter the commission’s stated parking concerns.

Commissioners discussed splitting parking between Pine and Southwest Graham so that not all parking would be concentrated on the narrow street. One commissioner said the commission could require the developer to provide two parking spaces accessed from one street and one from the other, or some similar split, to reduce the likelihood of vehicles blocking emergency access.

A motion to approve the recommendation as read passed on a voice vote. Commissioners recorded as voting yes included Gibbs, Erdman, Alice Watts, Loehr and Dunham. The commission noted this action is only a recommendation; the Pryor Creek City Council will review the rezoning and render the final decision.

Documents referenced during the public hearing included the recorded plat description for the lots in Block 4 of the Mayor Roach addition (Book 01/1946, page 200). The commission did not adopt final site plan details; staff indicated design and parking layout would be addressed later in the permit and plan-review process.

The commission moved on to the next agenda item after the vote. Pending city council review, the applicant may revise parking and access plans to address the building inspector’s emergency-access concerns.