Council denies rezoning request in McCoy Meadows after neighbors urge retention of single‑family buffer

The Grand Island City Council denied an ordinance to amend the McCoy Meadows plan and allow duplex development on four lots on Ebony Lane, following public testimony and a Planning Commission recommendation to deny.

City planner Chad Nabbity summarized the application: the lots were originally approved as single‑family buffer lots adjacent to Autumn Park Apartments; the applicant asked to amend the redevelopment plan to permit duplexes with two five‑bedroom units per side. Planning staff said the Planning Commission unanimously recommended denial on land‑use compatibility grounds.

Multiple neighbors spoke in opposition. Kevin Britton and Jason Clark, property owners on adjacent lots, said they had purchased or built homes expecting the four lots to remain single‑family buffers. They raised concerns about privacy, lot sizes, extra traffic and the prospect of higher density directly behind established homes.

Applicant Xochilt Verjan described the proposal as duplex units designed to blend with nearby architecture, with attached two‑car garages and driveways for additional off‑street parking. She said building duplexes made the project financially viable given rising construction costs and that the owners planned to manage and maintain the properties.

Council members cited the Planning Commission’s unanimous denial, the original RD plan’s intent to provide a buffer between apartment development and single‑family homes, narrow back yards on existing duplexes, and traffic congestion. A motion to deny the ordinance carried (motion to deny adopted), preserving the existing single‑family plan for the four lots.