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Chelsea City Council approves rezoning for Trails of Double Oaks after debate, 3–2
Summary
After extended discussion and public comment about notice and density, the Chelsea City Council voted 3–2 to rezone the Trails of Double Oaks property on Highway 11 from agricultural (AR) to R2 residential, accepting a revised developer plan with larger lots and public trails.
Chelsea City Council approved ordinance 10-45 on May 5, voting 3–2 to rezone the Trails of Double Oaks property on Highway 11 from agricultural (AR) to R2 residential.
Councilmember (S5) told the council this was the third proposal for the site and said the developer returned with a revised plan that reduced density, added larger homes and pledged public trails rather than a gated development. “The proposal before us tonight is not a gated community, but it's larger lots, it's larger homes,” the councilmember said, adding the plan incorporated public comments and council requests.
Councilmember (S4), who had opposed an earlier version, said the revised plan met or exceeded requests from the council and from neighborhood concerns. After discussion, Clerk Crystal Ethridge conducted a roll-call vote: Jonna Barnes, Scott Weigand and Chris Grace voted aye; Arthur Fisher Jr. and Casey Morris voted no. The motion carried 3–2.
A member of the public, Dan Greenberg, raised concerns in the community forum about whether residents had adequate notice of land-use hearings. Greenberg said the public-hearing agenda for an April 21 meeting was posted at 10:51 a.m. the same day and noted that the city website’s public-hearings page appeared to show outdated notices. “That’s the only notice on the City of Chelsea website…So there really isn't a current reliable place online for residents to see what's happening,” Greenberg said, urging earlier and clearer notification.
Mayor Cody Saunders framed the vote as a decision on the latest plan rather than earlier proposals and noted the trails in the approved plan will be open to the public. The council did not attach special conditions in the motion as read on the floor.
Next steps: The ordinance passed its final local vote on May 5 and is recorded in the council minutes; any required permits, platting or developer obligations tied to infrastructure or sidewalks will proceed through the city’s standard review processes.
