Carl Junction council sends 101 Cambridge rezoning back to planning and zoning

The Carl Junction Board of Aldermen voted to send a rezoning request for 101 Cambridge back to the planning-and-zoning commission for a second hearing and to consider a special-use permit, the council decided during its meeting.

Charles Nolan, who identified himself as the property owner and developer, told the board he buys dilapidated homes and rehabs them to be “livable and affordable.” Nolan said paperwork errors stemming from a personal divorce left some filings incomplete and added, “it was my fault,” as he described repairs that include updated wiring and plumbing.

Council members and planning staff questioned whether the house had previously been zoned for two families. A planning representative said the applicant missed an earlier planning meeting because he was ill, and that planning’s prior denial reflected residents’ opposition at that hearing. Staff outlined an alternative to rezoning: a special-use permit that could allow two residents temporarily, with annual renewal and conditions such as terminating the permit when one occupant moves out.

After public comment both for and against the proposal, Alderman Donnell moved to refer the case back to planning and zoning for further review and to table the rezoning ordinance. The motion carried six votes in favor and two opposed. The council’s action preserves the applicant’s ability to pursue a special-use process rather than immediate rezoning.

Next steps: planning and zoning will have another opportunity to consider the proposal and may recommend a special-use permit with conditions; the rezoning ordinance remains tabled until that process concludes.