Property owner urges rezoning near Beach Street as board advances draft zoning code

Brandon Courtourtney, who said he owns 9 and 11 Beach Street, urged the Village Board on June 8 to rezone an adjacent parcel from R1H to R2H to align the lot with nearby multiunit buildings and avoid what he called “spot zoning.” Courtourtney told trustees he and partners own two six‑unit buildings, that the lot is already used in a way that is functionally nonconforming, and that they have delivered a petition signed by neighbors supporting the change.

Courtourtney said his team would design any project to “complement the architectural character of the area” and offered to work with the village’s historic district commission on materials and landscaping. The mayor and trustees repeatedly noted the parcel sits inside the village’s historic overlay and described the neighborhood as primarily single‑family in character, saying they were reluctant to expand multifamily zoning in R1 districts.

The board’s detailed discussion of the village’s draft zoning code, prepared in December 2025 and recently revised by counsel and planning staff, framed the request. The mayor said the governing board will circulate a tracked‑change draft and a chart of edits to help trustees and the public understand what changed; he warned the zoning map is particularly difficult to alter after adoption and called the current moment a last‑call for substantive edits.

Trustees and residents said they had polled neighbors and planning volunteers and that initial informal feedback did not favor a map change. One trustee said the board saw “zero” support in a straw poll for converting the parcel to R2, while others emphasized that retaining pre‑existing multifamily uses through special‑use permits would be a preferred approach for some properties.

The mayor invited Courtourtney and other residents to pursue formal avenues — use variance or a zoning‑map amendment — but said both routes carry challenges: a use variance typically requires a showing of hardship, while a map amendment at this stage risks claims of spot zoning. Courtcourtney was encouraged to participate during the remaining public comment opportunities and to submit materials for formal review when the board posts the finalized tracked draft for county planning review.

The board did not vote on the rezoning request. It directed staff to finalize the tracked‑change zoning code and asked trustees to review it in the next few days so the body can move the comprehensive draft toward public release and county review.