Commission defers decision on city‑owned 'Marshall Williamson' Mango lot after residents demand more outreach

The commission deferred action on a proposed future land use change for the city‑owned Marshall Williamson ("Mango") parcels after a lengthy public hearing in which multiple residents urged preserving the site as parkland, protecting historic trees, and demanding fuller notice and outreach.

Consultant Mark Alvarez said the parcel is mostly vacant, roughly one acre, and had previously been acquired by the CRA; he described the proposal as a small‑scale amendment to replace the MRMD category with Townhouse Residential. Residents including Shante Wells and Lashonda Williams said they feared displacement and loss of an important community green space. Wells said, "This is nothing but fancy talk for a gentrification," a line echoed by other speakers who urged the commission to preserve the lot as a park to honor Marshall Williamson and Dr. Anna Price.

A developer representative, attorney Jerry Proctor, offered commitments that any future proposal from his client would include affordable housing and a recommendation to designate part of the land as park in honor of Dr. Price. After discussion the mayor moved to defer the item to the first commission meeting in May, with an explicit direction to staff to prepare a door‑to‑door survey and to schedule a public meeting in the first week of April; the motion passed, and the item will return for further consideration with community feedback.