BLYTHEWOOD – Blythewood Town Council voted 4-1 Tuesday, May 26, to deny a high-density residential rezoning request for 60.5 acres that borders Fulmer and Mount Valley roads. Mayor Sloan Griffin was the lone vote in favor of the rezoning.
The applicant, South Fork Ventures LLC, represented by Brandon Pridemore of R. Joe Harris & Associates, requested R-5 zoning for the property.
R-5 zoning allows for single-family detached units, duplexes, multifamily units, manufactured homes and, as a special exception, mobile home parks.
The Blythewood Planning Commission voted May 4 to recommend that council approve the rezoning, even though Blythewood Town Council adopted a zoning ordinance on June 26, 2017, downsizing selected parcels in the R-5, R-8, and R-12 districts (that allowed minimum lot sizes of 5,000, 8,000, and 12,000 square feet, respectively,) to the D-1 zoning districts.
“The goal in downsizing was an effort to slow high-density growth in the town and to eliminate large developments of small-lot residential subdivisions within the town limits,” said then-Mayor Mike Ross. “We wanted to stop approving zoning districts less than 20,000 square feet. “
Pridemore tried to convince the council that the plan is to build only 97 homes on small lots in the 60.5 acres. He said that would leave 50 percent of the acreage as green space if he is allowed by the Town’s Board of Zoning Appeals to incorporate cluster housing in the project. However, he would not be able to apply for the cluster housing until after the property is rezoned by council.
Six residents addressed the issue during public comment. The property owner spoke for the rezoning and two others said they were not really wanting the development, but they felt the promised plan might be better than another development. Three people spoke against the rezoning.
Nancy Mears, a neighbor to the property, said it might be a great plan, but she asked council to reject the rezoning request.
“I’ve spoken about this development several times in different arenas and I’m concerned about the growth in our area,” Mears said. “The infrastructure cannot support it, traffic is a problem, the road improvements are needed now and the proposed rezoning would increase traffic congestion in the area, even if there are great ideas about trying to reroute traffic. We’re struggling with traffic issues now.
“We need smart growth. Development is running wildlife out of the area. We’re drastically reducing the natural landscape of the community. I have nothing against the developer, but I’m concerned about the growth undermining the residential character of our area,” Mears continued.
“Capacity is going to be an issue, the change I think might negatively impact our community. I urge you to consider the long-term consequences of this rezoning. We saw last week [at county council] how the community’s feedback is disregarded,” she said.
Councilman Donald Brock questioned the reality of Pridemore’s plan to build only 97 homes on the property when R-5 would allow many more homes.
“You said something very early on that this is a concept plan,” Brock said, “and I think what’s very important for the public to understand, is that’s what you’re proposing, but that isn’t necessarily what you’re going to do. You can tell me all day long that’s what you’re going to do, but you’re not in here asking me to approve a plan, which, I don’t believe this body can do. You’re asking us to approve a rezoning, and then once that toothpaste is out of the tube, it can’t go back in,” Brock said.
“That’s the danger of what you’re asking us to do because I’m going to operate from the position that you have a contingent contract on this land that is contingent upon rezoning.”
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