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Planning commission tables East 43rd rezoning after neighbor objections about safety and infrastructure
Summary
The commission postponed a requested change from single-family to low-rise multifamily zoning for 620 East 43rd Street for 30 days so applicants can refine plans and meet with city staff after neighbors raised concerns about traffic, sewer capacity and neighborhood character.
The San Angelo Planning Commission on Monday voted to table a rezoning request for 620 East 43rd Street for 30 days after sustained public opposition and questions about infrastructure and project specifics. The commission asked the applicants to meet with city staff before the next planning meeting to clarify whether a straight rezoning to RM-1, a narrower RS-2 designation or a Planned Development (PD) would best match neighborhood expectations.
Ray Lineberry, the lead planner, told the commission the 1.379-acre site is currently platted as six lots and that staff recommended RM-1 (low-rise multifamily) because the parcel is an infill opportunity near Lakeview High School and the city’s vision plan lists the area as neighborhood-appropriate. "Staff's rationale, it is compatible with the area because, multifamily residential is still residential," Lineberry said during the presentation.
Nearby homeowners urged caution. Anne Joseph, a resident who said she has lived on the block since 2011 and invested "over $30,000" in her home, asked whether existing sewer and drainage infrastructure could support additional residents and whether parking and school-day traffic had been properly considered. "How is that sewage line going to be able to handle increased sewage from this block that would feed down into it?" she asked.
Neighbor Jeremy Sevier described a recent history of squatters and repeated police calls on adjacent lots and said residents worry an increase in density could heighten safety and privacy concerns. "If you can't keep us safe from these small amounts of people coming into the neighborhood, how are you gonna keep us safe with an apartment complex?" he said.
Applicants Michael Gilcomb and Samantha Brooks told the commission they planned duplexes rather than large apartment blocks and that they would replat the lots if needed. The applicants said the duplexes would be rental units with on-site parking and that they hoped new development would encourage owners of nearby blighted parcels to improve their properties.
Commissioners and staff noted that RM-1 zoning allows a wide range of residential uses and that a PD or an RS-2 designation could be used instead to restrict development types. Staff also suggested tabling to let the applicants attend a scheduled predevelopment meeting and bring back a clearer site plan and conditions. The motion to table for 30 days passed by voice vote.
