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Resident tells council neighborhood felt unheard after R1A rezoning, says 94% opposed
Summary
During open forum, resident Lori Kala told the Victoria City Council she surveyed 71 households in the affected area and found 94% opposed the recent R1A rezoning; she criticized short notice and lack of neighborhood outreach and alleged misleading statements by a planner.
During the Oct. 27 open forum, resident Lori Kala told the Victoria City Council she and neighbors felt excluded from the process around a recent R1A rezoning.
"I spoke to 71 households, that were affected in the blue area ... And 94% of the people did not want it," Kala said, urging the council to consider that neighborhood opposition and to improve outreach. She criticized short notice to neighbors and said residents were not adequately consulted; Kala also alleged a planner named Travis misrepresented the likelihood of the rezoning failing, saying, "He lied to us." Kala said many affected households have lived in the neighborhood for decades and described the experience as "disheartening."
The mayor thanked Kala for attending; the transcript shows no council action on the rezoning during this meeting. Staff and council proceeded to other agenda items. Kala suggested the city could use a questionnaire or other outreach before moving forward on zoning changes to capture neighborhood input earlier in the process.
No formal remedy, referral or motion to revisit the rezoning is recorded in the transcript; the comment was heard during the public-comment period and therefore did not trigger immediate council action.
