Some neighbors of a hillside along West Stadium Boulevard and West Edgewood told two city councilmen Saturday that Jefferson City officials shouldn't be quick to grant a zoning-change request for that land.
About 30 people met with 4th Ward Council members Carlos Graham and Glen Costales, voicing their concerns that the proposal from developer Twehous Excavating would damage their property values if the City Council approves the rezoning request.
Nine and a half years ago, developer L.L. Lewis won Jefferson City government's approval for plans to create Schepker's Farm, with 116 town home - or duplex - living units, 20 single-family lots and two sections of commercial development on the nearly 70-acre tract.
One of the commercial sections, 5.83 acres, was to stretch along West Stadium Boulevard Drive, facing the Jefferson City Medical Group complex; the other, 5.94 acres, was to be accessible from Creek Trail Drive.
But two years later, largely because of the sagging economy, Lewis was forced to sell - after clearing much of the hillside and blasting out rock for the Stadium Boulevard commercial area.
At the time, attorney Duane Schreimann, representing Jefferson Bank of Missouri as a trustee for Lewis' loan for the project, told the News Tribune: "Whoever the purchaser is would have the right to redo the entire plans."
The late-Pat Sullivan, who was Jefferson City's Community Development director in 2007 when Lewis' project was halted, said that, when a new buyer took over the land and the project, "I don't think anything would change unless a buyer came forward and said, "I want to change the zoning or change something in a Planned Unit Development.'
"At that point, the city would consider it."
That point is now.
Twehous Excavating, which had done much of the land clearing for the Lewis project, bought the land when Lewis had to sell in 2007.
Seven years later, the Twehous company is asking the city to change the zoning to "high density residential" and allow the construction of triplex homes as well as duplexes and single family units.
A month ago, the city's Planning and Zoning Commission approved Twehous' proposal to turn the 68-acre area into 88 residential lots and nine commercial lots.
Phase one of the development, which is being called the Ridgecrest Subdivision, is proposed on the southwest corner of the property and would consist of 15 residential lots.
Paul Sampson with Central Missouri Professional Services, Twehous' consultant for the project, told the Planning and Zoning Commission most of the lots will be two-unit residences, with a few three-units - and could be either rentals or condos.
Neighbor Gary Dey has been vocal in his questions about the new project, and reminded the council members Saturday that the Lewis project "promised a premium area with many properties valued at $400,000 to $450,000. Now, we're looking at something different."
Neighbor Debbie Mullally added: "We were under the impression that the properties (originally) were supposed to be sole proprietor owners, not rentals. But when the developer (Lewis) failed, they built plain-Jane buildings and we ended up with over 38 rentals.
"We are saturated up there, now."
The Twehous proposal still contains commercial property along Stadium, across from JCMG.
With continued commercial development in the area, including the planned new Sam's Club store to the north, and a proposal to connect a planned new road, Cathedral Rock Drive, with the roundabout just outside the new St. Mary's Hospital, residents worried about a steady increase in traffic - especially if a new high school is built on land the school district owns near the new hospital.
"There's going to be a heck of a lot of traffic," Dey said.
Although the project is not in his ward, 2nd Ward Councilman Rick Mihalevich still will be one of the 10 council members having to vote on the rezoning requests.
He attended Saturday's meeting, then told the News Tribune: "These are the same issues that affect all wards, when you come down to rezoning. Typically, traffic is always a major concern, and the growth and development of a neighborhood.
"In this case, they were comfortable with the existing plan, and now it's going to be higher density - and that didn't sit well with the residents in the area."
Graham said: "I learned that there are some more concerns that (the neighbors) have.
"I don't think their main concern is to scrap the project - but how do we make it so that everybody will be happy about the project."
Councilman Glen Costales said: "They're concerned about the quality of the exterior of the buildings, and the density. They're dead-set against triplexes."
He predicted that, at the council's Nov. 17 public hearing on the proposal, "The citizens are going to give all the council members something to think about for awhile."
Graham told the group he plans to propose an alternate plan after the City Council holds that public hearing at the beginning of next week's meeting.
But he said he's still working on that plan, and isn't ready to announce its details.