Residents of BellaVita packed into Council Chambers Monday to protest a zone change request that would add two more single family homes to the age-restricted community they say is already flood prone.
After asking anyone not there for the BellaVita agenda item to step out to comply with capacity restrictions, City Council members listened and ultimately denied the rezone request from Forgotten Angels Foundation CEO and BellaVita’s original developer Renee West McGuire. McGuire had been seeking to develop two more lots in the last available section of BellaVita, in an area located at South Rivera Circle and Berlino Drive.
“We’ve got to build something there,” McGuire told the council Monday. “I gave the opportunity to the homeowners association to purchase it, and that’s not something they are looking at doing. We have the right to build something on it.”
“We are 99% built out. Now, we’re telling you where she wants to build is too low, and it is going to cause flooding of the adjacent homes,” said Linda Kuna, one of more than a dozen people who spoke out against the request during public comment.
“This proposal is a poster child of why you don’t build in a flood prone area,” Connie Harry said. “Why are we even considering this?”
BellaVita HOA Don Smith said increased insurance and taxes and possible flooding top the concerns of residents, many of whom are on a fixed income.
Others said they were concerned about loss of wildlife habitat and damage and safety issues caused by construction.
Councilman Woody Owens added that flooding and drainage issues are more than a Pearland problem.
“It’s a regional problem,” he said.
Monday’s request was denied, but the applicant and owner can still move to re-activate the original planned development zoning.
