A request to rezone a parcel on Cemetery Road to R‑4 (manufactured housing district) prompted extended discussion Dec. 9 as the developer described plans for a manufactured‑home subdivision and Planning and Zoning recommended denial 5‑0.

The applicant said the proposal would create roughly 60 home sites on about 25 acres after easement and flood‑zone constraints are applied, with homes targeted at about 2,000–2,100 square feet and an expected selling price near $250,000 (the applicant also referenced a potential $215,000–$250,000 range). The developer emphasized these would be owner‑occupied properties, financed with traditional mortgages including FHA and VA loans, and said the communities include HOAs and amenities.

Council members and planning staff pressed on site constraints: an existing gas line that runs through the property, the proximity of a railroad track and parts of the site in a flood zone. Planning and Zoning expressed concern about rezoning directly from R‑1 to R‑4 without a gradient. The applicant argued that converting the site to stick‑built R‑1 housing would make the land economically unviable and said the proposal was intended to provide affordable homeownership for local workers.

A motion to deny the ordinance was made and seconded. The roll call recorded Council members Miller, Shear, Vice Mayor Similescu and Mayor Tucker as voting yes; however, the transcript contains an internal inconsistency when the mayor later stated, "Motion, fails." The council did not record a subsequent clarification in the meeting transcript. The developer asked to return to Planning & Zoning with the presentation materials; council indicated that a denial at the council level would allow the applicant to resubmit to Planning & Zoning.