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Council holds Aldridge Junior High rezoning after heavy neighborhood opposition
Summary
After a lengthy public hearing and strong neighborhood turnout, the council voted to hold the proposed PDR overlay zoning for Aldridge Junior High until Sept. 14 to allow more community engagement and technical follow-up, including a recorded minor subdivision to preserve athletic fields funded through land-and-water conservation restrictions.
The council on July 6 opened a public hearing on PCO '23‑2026, a proposed zoning change to allow productive reuse of the Aldridge Junior High site. Tom Kravitz, the city’s planning director, described prior bids and efforts to salvage and reuse the structure; he also recommended subdividing the site to retain the athletic fields and two tennis courts because those recreational parcels were acquired with Land and Water Conservation funds and require protection.
The hearing drew a large neighborhood turnout. Dozens of residents spoke in opposition to high-density redevelopment or commercial conversion adjacent to existing residential areas. Comments from Destiny Davila, Scott Costa and others focused on traffic concerns at the Post Road corridor, loss of neighborhood character, and the potential property-value impact of a large multi-unit development. Several speakers described the vacant school as a local blight and argued for a rapid cleanup or sale to a buyer that would remove the hazard.
Planning staff explained past proposals, including a prior bidder that had proposed 63 units by reusing the building; the planning analysis provides options that could allow a new structure of higher density (up to the proposed maximum under a PDR overlay). Chief of Staff Bill Vicente clarified to the council that the overlay does not itself grant approval for any developer’s plan and emphasized that commercial use was not on the table in the current proposal.
Council members debated whether to move forward to encourage bidders or to pause the process for deeper neighborhood engagement. Councilman Ricks and others supported holding the item to allow more time for neighbors and staff to refine the plan; they also pushed to ensure the subdivision would protect the recreational fields. The council voted to hold PCO '23‑2026 until Sept. 14, 2026, so the administration can refine legal descriptions, publish Exhibit A (legal description) and coordinate outreach and technical follow-up.
The hold does not remove the city's ability to solicit bids; rather, the council asked for more time to confirm legal descriptions, ensure the field/track/two tennis courts are carved out of any disposition and to return with clearer options and community input.
