Several Westfield residents urged the City Council on Monday to block a proposed high-density townhome element in the Sugarleaf Planned Unit Development, saying the design would worsen drainage, increase traffic on narrow 171st Street and intrude on the character of nearby single-family neighborhoods.

Richard Feldman, president of Reserve on South, told the council the proposed 67-unit townhome component from David Weekley Homes would be “completely out of character” with the area and could drag down property values. He listed drainage and impermeable surfaces, traffic on a two-lane 171st Street, and loss of privacy from townhome balconies as specific concerns.

Neighbors Arnie and Jan Macy and resident Scott Burton reiterated worries that four-story townhome buildings would block sunlight, look out over backyards and be too tall for the location. Burton told the council he had reviewed nearby townhome projects and said market demand does not justify the density proposed.

At the outset of the item, Community Development staff and the applicant presented the Sugarleaf proposal as an update to existing Sanders Glen zoning that would replace an existing commercial parcel and reconfigure the site to include 42 for-sale attached homes on the south and about 25 single-family lots on the north. Attorney John Daba Shea said the townhomes would be fee-simple, for-sale units with rental restrictions and that the proposal aims to preserve more trees than the current zoning would allow.

Council members pressed the applicant on building height, adjacency to existing homes, and drainage strategies. Staff and proponents said the townhomes are approximately four stories (about 45 feet measured to the roof midpoint) and that the project team commissioned a tree inventory; they described a plan to place detention for some stormwater under the AgriPark parking area so fewer trees would be removed from the park. Janelle Fairman, director of economic development, and the consultant team said the design aligns with an informational master plan presented earlier that envisions mixed building types around Simon Moon Park.

Multiple councilors signaled unease. Several said a four‑story row-house edge immediately next to single-family backyards would not be an acceptable transition and urged the applicant to revisit massing, setbacks and retention options. The application was introduced for review; public hearings and a neighborhood meeting were scheduled to continue the formal review process.

What happens next: the PUD will appear at a public neighborhood meeting and a plan commission hearing (dates announced by staff).