Grand Island residents press town board over Gulfview PDD rezoning, buffers and moratorium lapse

Residents filled public comment at the Grand Island Town Board meeting on Feb. 3 to oppose or demand stricter conditions on a proposed Planned Development District (PDD) for a 14.4-acre parcel at Gulfview, arguing the rezoning would increase density beyond what the town master plan anticipates and shrink protective buffers between existing homes and new development.

The concerns centered on whether the PDD would permit densities of “seven plus per acre” on the 14.4-acre B-1 parcel that residents said should remain consistent with surrounding R-2 and R-1 development. Jonathan Jones, who says his property adjoins the Gulfview site, asked the board to equalize buffer widths so existing homeowners have comparable protections along the riverside and Timberlink neighborhoods. “My property has a very small buffer zone compared to the size of the buffer zone along Timberlink,” Jones said. “I would like to see that buffer zone more equal all the way across.”

Residents…