Parkland seeks rezoning for up to 220 stacked townhomes off Celebrate Life Parkway in Newman City

Parkland Home Builders LLC asked the Newman City Council at a workshop meeting to rezone roughly 32 acres off Celebrate Life Parkway from Community Shopping Center (CCS) to RMH (Residential Multifamily High Density) to allow a 220‑unit “stacked townhome” rental community.

Dean Smith, senior planner, told the council the site is split across two parcels, lies within the Quality Development Corridor and an I‑85 building‑height overlay, and is shown as mixed‑use/business office on the future land‑use map. "At the conclusion of that hearing, they voted 5 nothing to recommend denial of the rezoning request," Smith said, referring to the Planning Commission’s Jan. 13 recommendation against the proposal.

Applicant representatives led by attorney Steven Jones (McKagan & Jones) and Parkland Communities described a project with 144 three‑bedroom units and 76 two‑bedroom units, on‑site amenities (pool, clubhouse, walking trails and common green space), and private streets with rear‑loaded garages. The applicant said two access drives to Celebrate Life Parkway are proposed and presented market research they said shows a local jobs‑to‑housing imbalance within a 0.75‑mile radius that the development would help address.

Jones framed the proposal as less intense than some commercial alternatives on the property: "We do view that for that reason as a downzoning because you're taking this from a less intensive commercial use to a less intense residential use," he said.

City staff flagged several technical issues that would be addressed at site plan review, including concerns from the city landscape architect about the location and effectiveness of proposed tree‑save areas and the site’s ability to meet the tree conservation and landscape ordinance. The city engineer asked the council to ensure on‑site environmental features such as streams, wetlands and floodplain are handled during civil review. Smith also said the traffic study for the project was accepted but noted that mitigation will be required if negative impacts are identified; required items include dedicated turn lanes, sidewalk connectivity and street lighting along Celebrate Life Parkway.

Council members pressed the applicant on affordability and market fit for City of Hope employees and other local workers. The applicant provided projected rents for the concept: two‑bedroom units at about $1,900 per month and three‑bedroom units between $2,300 and $2,400 per month, and said those levels are comparable to nearby communities. When asked whether those rents would be affordable for many public‑sector workers, Parkland said household or combined incomes and cosigners are commonly used to qualify residents, and that some fee waivers and security‑deposit alternatives are available for public employees in other Parkland projects.

Facing the council’s questions, Parkland offered a reduced alternate plan that would cut the total to about 150 units and add product diversity (ranch‑style units) to reduce impacts and mitigate concerns about school enrollment and tree preservation. "If you'd like to see less than 220 units, I'm glad to work with you," the applicant said. Staff noted the Planning Commission had only reviewed the original 220‑unit application and offered that the commission could be asked to review a reduced plan so the council would have an updated recommendation.

Councilors and staff discussed process options: the item is already advertised for a public hearing on the 24th (as stated in the meeting), and the applicant could either submit an alternate plan for staff review in advance or appear on the advertised date and request a continuance to allow time for review (staff suggested a continuance to March 24 would provide additional time). No vote was taken in the workshop; council members emphasized that workshops are for discussion and that formal action would occur at a public hearing.

Next steps: the rezoning remains scheduled for the advertised public hearing; the applicant indicated willingness to revise plans or request a continuance to give staff and the Planning Commission time to evaluate a reduced‑density alternative.