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Residents urge Verona council to resist rezoning Bacchus site, praise sustainability progress
Summary
Multiple residents told the Verona Common Council on Oct. 27 that recent planning and rezoning proposals for the Bacchus (Backus) parcel risk eroding the character of adjacent single‑family neighborhoods and raised flooding and safety concerns. Several speakers also praised the city’s sustainability work and asked for increased, budgeted support.
Leila Sonier, a Holiday Court resident of 40 years, opened the public‑comment period on Monday by thanking the council for years of sustainability investments and urging the city to keep clean‑energy and environmental priorities “front and center” as it drafts the next budget.
Neighbors who live adjacent to the parcel commonly referred to in testimony as the Bacchus property urged the council not to amend the comprehensive plan to allow a large multifamily development on land long shown for single‑family housing. Dana Berry, who said she reviewed advertised apartment availability across more than 30 local properties, reported what she described as a 6.5% vacancy rate (261 available units out of 4,044) and said that raised questions about adding hundreds more rental units now.
Melanie Hunt, whose home at 2803 North County Road M sits level with the proposed project, described repeated flooding she traced to nearby construction since 2017, said she spent more than $15,000 regrading her yard, and warned that clearing trees from the adjacent bluff will increase runoff toward her property. “We will literally lose our entire view,” she said, adding concerns about privacy and safety from new trail shortcuts.
Several speakers urged the council to honor the city’s residential phasing policy, which previous council action established to limit multifamily approvals to a modest annual range in most cases. Scott Side summarized that policy and said Verona’s current pipeline and nearby projects already amount to “a lot” of multifamily development, advising the council to require a compelling reason before changing land‑use designations.
The comments came during the public‑comment portion of a meeting in which council members repeatedly emphasized the need to balance neighborhood context, the city’s housing needs and fiscal considerations. No formal zoning action was taken Monday; multiple speakers said they plan to continue providing written and in‑person feedback as proposals move through staff review and public hearings.
