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Commission forwards rezoning for 43‑unit Commerce Street townhome project amid environmental and design questions
Summary
The Planning Commission recommended RZ‑25‑5 to rezone 3.37 acres at 1328 Commerce Street for a planned unit development that would allow 43 townhomes; the commission accepted an updated development plan showing 45% net green space but debated submission of Phase‑1 environmental documentation and raised concerns about unit spacing and proximity to railroad tracks.
The Winchester Planning Commission voted to forward RZ‑25‑5 (rezoning of 3.37 acres at 1328 Commerce Street, map 233‑11‑1) to city council with a recommendation of approval consistent with the development plan dated 03/10/2026.
Staff reported the applicant revised the development plan to show a 40‑foot private street easement, updated green‑space calculations that net the private road out of the open‑space total and yield 45% green space, and 11 additional overflow parking spaces. The applicant’s engineer, Hamid Matin, said a Phase‑1 environmental study had been performed and showed no concerns; the team committed to a Phase‑2 study during final site‑plan engineering.
A nearby property owner, Deepak Banot, who said he owns a commercial lot on the site, addressed the commission and expressed support for converting the parcel to residential and for the project moving forward.
Commissioners questioned whether the Phase‑1 environmental materials had been submitted to staff; staff said a memo had been provided by the applicant but that the full Phase‑1 study had not yet been filed. Several commissioners said they expected the documents to be provided to staff before council review; the applicant agreed to submit the study prior to council consideration. Members also raised technical design concerns: narrow rear‑yard setbacks (as low as 6.7 feet in places), units close to an active railroad track, sidewalk widths and unit elevations on a sloped site; one commissioner said the layout may be “too much” for the parcel despite supporting residential use.
After discussion, a motion to recommend rezoning RZ‑25‑5 to city council was made, the development‑plan date was corrected in the motion to 03/10/2026, and the commission voted to pass the application to council. The applicant and staff will provide outstanding environmental documentation and final site‑plan materials as the project advances.
