Despite neighborhood opposition, the Jefferson City Planning and Zoning Commission has approved plans for a new development off of Hayselton Drive.
At the its meeting Thursday, the commission approved requests filed by River Bluff Condominiums and the Paul Chinn Trust to rezone 14.69 acres from Planned Unit Development to RS-3 Single Family Residential; amend a development plan map; approve a variance for street width; and approve a preliminary and final subdivision plat of 10.9 acres consisting of nine lots, seven of which would be available for single-family homes.
The development would include single-family homes in a subdivision called River Bluff Estates accessed solely from the 1600 block of Hayselton Drive, which is why many residents are opposed to the development.
It's the third time in the last six years the proposal has come before the city, though it has changed slightly over the years.
"We'd like to believe that each attempt has improved the opportunity of success," said Mike Bates of Central Missouri Professional Services, representing the developers.
The proposal was brought to the commission in December 2010 when, despite more than 20 residents speaking out against the plan, the commission approved the subdivision plan. The request was then withdrawn by the landowners in February, just before it reached the City Council, to allow additional time to meet with neighborhood representatives concerning the proposed development.
In January 2012, the proposal was again brought back and approved by the commission before being withdrawn the next month, again because of neighborhood concerns - mainly the access road residents say would be placed on a hairpin curve that is already dangerous.
Each time the development is proposed, residents have expressed the same concerns with the proposed entrance, which would involve building a street to meet Hayselton Drive on a tight, hairpin curve many residents have said would be unsafe. Residents had also cited concerns about added traffic and noise in the area if the development were to proceed.
"We think this is the best we can do," Bates said Thursday. "We realize we have not made the neighborhood happy."
At Thursday's meeting, roughly 40 people attended, and 14 spoke against the development, most citing concerns with the proposed new street.
"I'm not opposed to the subdivision," said Rob Johnson, a Hayselton Drive resident. "I'm opposed to where they're accessing it."
Mark Pauley, whose home is located next to the proposed new street, said the access road and development would adversely affect his home's value and take away the privacy of his backyard.
"Why should my property rights be violated just so somebody else can profit?" Pauley asked.
Mary Browning, a Hayselton Drive resident, said the city should be careful when the entire neighborhood is opposed to something, adding they don't have to live in Jefferson City.
"I don't know if the city wants to run the risk of alienating the entire neighborhood," Browning said.
Browning said she also was a bit frustrated it seemed those who might move to the new development mattered more than those who already live in Jefferson City.
Linda Patton, also a Hayselton Drive resident, said the development could destroy the neighborhood's culture and heritage, and once that's done, that type of deterioration could easily spread to other areas of the city.
"Our little piece of historic Jefferson City cannot accommodate this development," Patton said.
Before voting, two commission members expressed very differing views of the issue. Dean Dutoi said he would vote against the development because of the connection to Hayselton Drive, noting the curve is too tight, and the street was never designed to handle that much traffic.
Jack Deeken strongly disagreed, saying the curve is not dangerous, and the Hayselton Drive neighborhood is not unique from other neighborhoods in the city.
Ultimately, the commission voted to approve the requests in five different motions, one for each separate aspect of the request. The only votes that were not unanimous were the vote to approve the variance to the width of the new street's right of way and the votes to approve the preliminary and final subdivison plats. All three of those votes were approved 5-2, with commissioners Dutoi and Blake Markus voting against the development.
The issue will now go to the full City Council, and Senior Planner Eric Barron said there would be a public hearing at 6 p.m. April 4 on the issue.
"What a sad commentary this will be for our city if this passes," said Mary Vandyne, another Hayselton Drive resident.