Council rejects single-lot office rezoning at Briarcroft but approves broader District 2 map updates

Council considered multiple District 2 zoning recommendations as part of a larger zoning-map analysis. The council voted down a request (item 7.3) to change one Briarcroft Office Park lot from Neighborhood Commercial (NC) to Office (OF) after the property owner, Mont McClendon, objected; that single-lot objection required a supermajority and the motion failed (2-5).

McClendon told the council he preferred to keep the neighborhood-commercial designation because it offers more flexibility to market the property for retail or food uses that could front the thoroughfare. "I acquired this property with NC zoning," he said, asking the council not to remove the uses he bought into.

By contrast, staff presented a broader set of District 2 rezonings (item 7.4) that included down-zoning some industrial lots near neighborhoods, reclassifying most of the Briarcroft Office Park lots to Office consistent with long-term land use, and changes around 50th and University to permit commercial uses. Planning staff said they sent 959 notices and received limited responses; Planning & Zoning recommended the package unanimously. After brief comments and limited public testimony, the council approved item 7.4 by a unanimous 7-0 vote.

Council also heard and approved related, site-specific rezonings in a consolidated public hearing (items 7.5, 7.6 and 7.7) covering small property changes in Districts 4, 5 and 6; those passed unanimously as well. Council members asked staff about the desirability of Office versus Neighborhood Commercial for long-term redevelopment flexibility and said they would consider property-owner requests if owners sought a different designation in the future.

Outcome: item 7.3 failed (2-5); items 7.4, 7.5, 7.6 and 7.7 approved (7-0 on each).