Planning Commission tied over Edgewood Manor development, rezoning

A proposed development of 12 homes at Carr Avenue and "short" Saulter Road faced heavy criticism from residents and conflicted responses from Planning Commission members at tonight's meeting. The final votes were tied both for the development's final plan and for a requested rezoning.

Jason Kessler of KADCO Homes presented the development proposal, which is called Edgewood Manor and would create 12 home lots of varying sizes, with home sizes starting around 2,200 square feet and prices starting in the mid-$500,000s. Kessler said part of the development included a green space at the recommendation of city officials, though this was later clarified to be property within the city and utility line easement, where development isn't possible.

The total size of the property is just over two acres and is currently zoned Neighborhood Preservation District, though the planning commission request was for a rezone to Planned Residential District. Kessler said the homes of Edgewood Manor would be "old world" in style and would abide by PRD rules, which include a 40-foot height limit and no more than 25 percent of the total property's acreage, including the green space, can be covered by the homes' footprint. The NPD zoning has more restrictive height limits and property line setback rules.

The property in question is near the Broadway "triangle" of homes developed in 2015. Kessler said compared to those homes, the plans for Edgewood Manor include larger lots, more trees and garages, as well as underground power lines. Kessler said the planting of large trees and design plans, though specifics would be determined by future homeowners, are intended to blend with older homes that surround them.

"We're going to spend extra money doing this," Kessler said of tree planting plans.

KADCO Homes previously held a block party on the site to explain the development plans to neighbors, and Kessler brought a petition with 23 signatures supporting the development to the meeting.

By contrast, Homewood City Hall's council chambers were nearly full with residents interested in the case. About 20 spoke, and all but a few were opposed to the development. The residents' primary concerns included whether the homes would actually aesthetically match the neighborhood, drainage and stormwater runoff, additional traffic, more students in the school system and concerns over whether a homeowners' association fit with the character of Homewood.

"It doesn't seem to fit into the aesthetic of our street," said one resident of short Saulter Road.

Most residents present called for the development to scale down to fit within existing NPD restrictions, especially as changes to the NPD house height ordinance have been under discussion and will have a public hearing on April 9.

There were also concerns about the absence of definite house plans and their locations on the lots, both from audience members and the commission. One homeowner described it as an objection to the principles of developing the property, not the project itself.

A couple residents spoke in favor of the development's use of a long-vacant lot and the chance to improve property values with the addition of new construction. One former resident, who sold his house to KADCO as part of the development, said he considered the plans a "huge plus for my neighborhood."

Another neighbor said they were glad to see a developer willing to take on the floodplain challenges of the lot. A KADCO representative said the property will include a box culvert to add new stormwater pipeline along Carr Avenue, connecting with existing pipelines.

In addition to the lack of specific home plans, commission members also expressed hesitations over the absence of definite locations of where the homes would sit on the lots. Kessler said this would vary by the lots' shapes, but the closest homes would only have 10 feet between the two buildings.

Kessler did proffer to amend the final development plan to include a front setback limit of 20 feet from the property line and a back setback of 15 feet, but no changes to the side setbacks. He also said that typical KADCO Homes have heights in the 30-35 foot range but did not make definite promises about the heights of Edgewood Manor homes.

"We want this to be done right," Kessler said.

Planning Commission Vice Chair Jeffrey Foster, who presided over tonight's meeting in Chair Billy Higginbotham's absence, said the 10-foot distance between homes was "really tight" and would not have the commission's approval if the owner of an existing home had requested to build an addition that close to their neighbor's house.

The vote to rezone 800-808 Saulter Road and 809 Carr Avenue was tied, with members Stuart Roberts, Battalion Chief Nickolas Hill and James Riddle voting in favor and John Krontiras, Brady Wilson and Foster voting against. The City Council will take up the issue for a final vote.

The vote to accept Edgewood Manor's final development plan also tied, though this time Riddle, Wilson and Hill voted in favor while Krontiras, Roberts and Foster voted against. The tie means the development plan failed and a new plan will have to be resubmitted in order to move forward.

After the meeting, Foster and Roberts declined to give further comments about their votes, stating that they were unsure how much they could share their opinions publicly. Roberts referred to his comments on the record during the meeting, including his concerns about the missing pieces of the development plan, as explanations of his voting decisions.

Also tonight, the commission approved an amended development plan for Our Lady of Sorrows Catholic Church to redesign its Family Life Center's gym and add a small storage facility.

The commission also approved a final development plan for the future public safety headquarters, located at 310 West Valley Avenue. The headquarters will include the courts, jail and police facilities.