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Planning commission recommends denying Cemetery Road rezoning after developer presentation
Summary
The Planning Commission recommended denying a rezoning request for property on Cemetery Road after staff said the change would conflict with future land-use plans and commissioners raised concerns about density and long-term maintenance. Developers argued the project would deliver affordable homeownership but could not make the numbers work under current zoning.
The city Planning Commission recommended denial of a rezoning request for property on Cemetery Road, sending the matter to City Council with a negative recommendation.
Staff told commissioners the rezoning — proposed to allow a modular/manufactured-home subdivision — did not meet the current or future land-use plan and would set a precedent the planning staff could not support. "Overall, staff recommendation was to deny," a staff member said during the hearing.
Applicant Alex Nolan and partner Mike Owens said market and physical constraints would limit the development to about 55–62 lots rather than the 88 originally proposed, citing a gas easement and flood-prone areas. Nolan said infrastructure costs would be substantial: "We spoke with your waste management, and it'll cost us about $547,000 to get to the tie in and put the pump stations in," and added that part of the homeowners association would cover maintenance because the city would not.
Mike Owens emphasized the developer’s intent to produce homeownership rather than rental units, saying the company would sell completed homes on the lots and impose covenants and an HOA: "Every single one of those people will own their home," he said. The applicants projected sale prices in a $250,000–$300,000 range and said financing options such as FHA would be available because the homes would be real property.
Several commissioners expressed reservations about the proposed jump in density from R-1 to R-4 and about long-term stewardship if an HOA dissolved. One commissioner said past rezoning approvals had led to later resales and different outcomes than originally promised. "We've gotten burnt on rezoning things and then companies have immediately sold the property to somebody else who did whatever they wanted to do with it," a commissioner said.
After discussion, a commissioner moved to deny the rezoning request; the motion was seconded, and the commission voted unanimously to recommend denial. As a recommending body, the Planning Commission’s decision will go to City Council for final action next week.
