by Nicole Bradford
A proposal for townhome rentals at McHard Road and Adamo Lane is back up for consideration after some changes to the plan.
In December, a proposal for a 101-unit townhome community fell flat during an input session with the city council and Planning and Zoning Commission members.
“Out of that workshop we made some really big changes,” Beacon Land Services consultant Andrew Allemand told Planning and Zoning Commissioners Monday night. “We reduced the density quite a bit.”
The revised proposal now calls for 63 units and an additional buffer area, particularly to the south. Still, half a dozen neighbors spoke out on Monday, describing the townhome project as “glorified apartments” and urging Planning and Zoning to issue a negative recommendation on a needed zone change to planned development. At just under 8 acres, the site at 8210 McHard Road is zoned for suburban residential.
Planning and Zoning on Monday voted 4-1 to delay a decision until the board’s first meeting in May to give the applicant time to revise the plan and address issues. Commissioner Derrell Isenberg cast the lone vote against delaying the decision.
“If you put lipstick on a pig, it’s still a pig,” he said. “I’ll be against this until the cows come home.”
Owner and developer Ali Hassan said the target market for the project is young professionals such as teachers, firefighters, and public servants who are currently priced out of single-family homes.
“We feel like the business needs perfectly align with the community’s needs,” he said.
An advisory board to the City Council, the Planning and Zoning Commission is set to meet on May 5 at City Hall Council Chamber, 3519 Liberty Drive.
