Residents urge repeal of 'cottage living' zoning and decry civic display of Confederate symbols

Two public commenters raised separate but locally consequential concerns during the Georgetown Mayor and Council public comment period.

John Peterson of North Bedford Street gave an extended statement about the public meaning of the Confederate flag, arguing that the symbol’s documented history of slavery, segregation and resistance to civil‑rights enforcement gives it an exclusionary meaning in civic contexts. He told council that such displays create a "foreseeable risk of misattribution" to the town and urged municipal leaders to address that risk to preserve public trust and institutional neutrality.

Lisa Ralphing of Sweet Court spoke for a group opposing recent changes to Georgetown’s 'cottage living' zoning (identified in her remarks as Ordinance 202507, effective Dec. 8, 2025). She said the ordinance’s 12‑units‑per‑acre minimum could allow dense infill on multiple qualifying parcels — one 25‑acre parcel would permit roughly 300 units under the formula she described — and that prior public meetings and an anonymous planning commission recommendation had opposed permanent zoning changes of this type. "We do not feel that the enhanced zoning changes made to Georgetown zoning laws are beneficial to our community or align with desired outcomes," she said, and she asked council to place a repeal of Ordinance 202507 on an upcoming agenda.

Council members acknowledged the request and asked staff to put the repeal discussion on a future agenda. The mayor and council did not take a formal vote on the zoning repeal during the meeting; staff and council members said the item would be scheduled for fuller discussion and possible action at a later date.

What to watch: council scheduling of the repeal request and any staff analyses (impacts on existing neighborhoods, parcel eligibility, and expected unit counts) will determine whether the ordinance moves to a public hearing or formal repeal process.