Jefferson City's Planning and Zoning Commission is considering a bill to allow for a 40-unit multi-family, residential complex in the Westview Heights area, and some residents are concerned about its possible impact.
Lohman Investments LLC, a private developer that sells, buys and leases real estate, requested the 1200 and 1300 block of Trade Center Parkway be rezoned to a planned unit development (PUD) to allow for the multi-family complex. If approved, the south side of Old Lohman Road would house three residential buildings and a community building.
Jefferson City Senior Planner Eric Barron said a PUD plan is a specialized form of zoning because the development plan goes through the Planning and Zoning Commission and City Council. It allows neighbors to see what is being planned for the area and voice feedback. Under standard zoning districts, property owners do not have to submit development plans to the commission or council.
Barron said Lohman Investments is seeking a Missouri Housing Development Commission tax credit, which requires families meet certain income qualifications to live in affordable housing.
Angela Boyer, who lives on Grandview Drive near the property, said she was told when she bought her home two years ago the field behind her house was zoned for light industrial use, so she was expecting a small business to be built there. Currently, the property is zoned for M-1 light industrial use, which can be used for warehouses, recycling stations, gas stations, plumbing and contractor shops.
Boyer said she was surprised when she learned from neighbors an apartment complex was being proposed for the property. She said she did not receive a notice about the complex because she lived too far from the property. Barron said P&Z notices are sent to property owners living within 185 feet of the property.
Since the land is in the Lawson Elementary School enrollment area for the Jefferson City Public Schools District, Boyer is concerned the complex will mean more children attending Lawson.
"You're thinking 40, 80, 120 new students going to Lawson Elementary, which is overcrowded already," said Boyer, whose son attends Lawson.
Boyer thinks overcrowding the school will lead to a decline in the quality of education.
"It's going to make it worse for the students," Boyer said. "The kids aren't going to get the quality education we want to give them."
Amy Berendzen, director of school-community relations for Jefferson City Public Schools, said she was unaware of the apartment complex and did not want to comment until she had more information.
Barron said there will be a buffer yard of about 50 feet on the western property line adjacent to Westview Heights, which would help separate the single-family and multi-family developments.
City staff recommended the commission approve the PUD plan, noting a multi-family apartment complex was "appropriate" because of a nearby single-family residential subdivision, apartments and duplexes.
"The proposed land use is prevalent in the area and serves as a transition between the industrial uses to the east and low density residential uses to the west," according to the bill. "The PUD plan process would allow for feedback from surrounding property owners on the details of the development, and the proposed buffer yard is an appropriate separation from the adjacent single-family residential use."
A representative of Lohman Investments could not be reached for comment Wednesday.
Lohman Investments acquired the property in 2008 and built a road, but since then, Barron said there has been no development along the road.
The Planning and Zoning Commission meeting is set for 5:15 p.m. today in the City Council Chambers. A representative from Lohman Investments will be at the meeting, and members of the public will be able to voice concerns.
If the commission acts on the bill, it would go to a public hearing in front of the City Council, Barron said. If it proceeds by the standard schedule, the bill would be discussed tentatively on July 17.