Committee approves annexation, rezoning and plats for Aurora Turners properties on Mitchell Road

The Zoning and Economic Development Committee unanimously approved a package of four related petitions May 28 that will annex a 0.3-acre parcel at 1231 Mitchell Road into the city, integrate it into the existing Aurora Turners conditional-use plan, vacate a portion of High Street north of East Indian Trail and adopt a final plat consolidating four lots into two for future development.

Tracy Basic, senior planner with the zoning and planning division, told the committee the petitions are being processed concurrently and said the annexation would assign R-1 single-family zoning to 1231 Mitchell Road while the rezoning/conditional use would bring that property into the Turners— conditional plan and change the underlying zoning to B-2 general retail. The vacation of the High Street right-of-way would return land to the Turners Club because recent development made the planned street connection infeasible.

During public comment, Joel Lusk asked the committee to table item 25-0421 for two weeks, saying the Turners— membership had not voted and the petition lacked evidence of membership approval. Dina Weiss, financial secretary for the Aurora Turners, answered that the motion had been presented to membership multiple times and that the board had voted unanimously in favor. "We have thrice presented this motion to the board, and to membership," Weiss said, and added the approval was "in the record." That response addressed the public comment before the committee voted.

Vice Chair Patty Smith moved approval of the annexation (25-0421); Alderman Juan Garza seconded. The committee then voted on the rezoning and conditional-use plan (25-0422), the vacation of High Street (25-0423) and the final plat for the Aurora Turners Club subdivision (25-0424). All four motions carried unanimously with votes recorded as 5-0.

The approved final plat consolidates existing parcels (including 1231 and 1215 Mitchell Road and 500 East Indian Trail) into two lots: Lot 1 is planned to include the existing house (proposed for demolition), the vacant property at 1215 Mitchell and the western half of the vacated High Street for future commercial use; Lot 2 will include the eastern half of the vacated right-of-way and 500 East Indian Trail, which the Turners Club will continue to use for recreational purposes.

The committee also agreed to hold a separate item (25-0438, the Mason Subdivision final plat at 1127 and 1129 Thomas Street) for two weeks at the request of a ward alderman to allow one-on-one discussion with the mayor. Staff was directed to follow up with members of the public on concerns raised during public comment.

With the votes complete, the committee forwarded the approved items to the city council as recommended.