Council delays rezoning votes after lengthy developer presentations on two affordable housing proposals

Perry councilmembers heard extended presentations from two development teams proposing multifamily affordable housing projects that would rely on state low‑income housing tax credits, but the council declined to approve rezoning tonight and asked developers for more information.

Developers and consultants identified themselves throughout the discussion — including representatives who identified as Nick and Barry — and described competitive timing tied to the state’s scoring and application schedule. “If we’re not by‑right zoned by March 11th, there’s nothing else to talk about,” one presenter said, urging the city to consider third readings so applications can be filed.

Residents and councilmembers raised planning concerns. A resident who identified himself as Jason said the city’s comprehensive plan is outdated (he found a 13‑year‑old plan online) and questioned whether converting agricultural land or commercial parcels to high‑density rental would conflict with the city’s housing goals. Jason and others asked the council to compare the proposals to the city’s 2022 housing needs assessment, which the resident said identified an abundance of rental stock and recommended different housing priorities.

Developers responded that Perry scores highly in the state rubric for tax credits and that the sites were selected after outreach to property owners and planning staff. One presenter said the company has developed hundreds of projects over 35 years and described checks — construction teams, property management and investor oversight — they said would protect long‑term maintenance.

Councilmembers asked for a short list of other municipalities where the developers have built, relevant contact information for municipal references, the developers’ property inventories, and the market study that some said was already ordered. Several councilmembers said they needed time to review site plans, alternatives, and utility/service availability before committing to a rezoning vote. The council noted it could still schedule a work session and re‑visit the items prior to the state deadline, but for tonight the motions to proceed with second/third readings on two multifamily rezoning requests were not moved forward.

Councilmembers also discussed alternative housing tools such as infill single‑family construction and asked whether workforce credits (a different program) or single‑family infill could meet local needs. Staff emphasized that zoning approval only enables an applicant to submit for state scoring; site‑plan approval, permit review and engineering remain council or staff actions later in the process.

The outcome: one industrial‑park parcel rezoning (to light industrial) was completed in a separate ordinance vote; multiple residential rezoning requests tied to the credit applications were tabled or left without a motion, and developers were asked to return with additional documentation.