By Michael J. Thompson
Two months after a nearly four-hour meeting discussing the Perry-Bolton Tax Allocation District issue, the May 22 Neighborhood Planning Unit (NPU) D meeting at The Agape Center was far less time consuming.
That is not to say there were no contentious issues on the agenda. For instance, a planned rezoning of 1011 Collier Road N.W., which is located in NPU-C and adjacent to NPU-D was discussed and unanimously voted to deny.
“The developer requested a referral and didn’t even show up,” said Charletta Wilson Jacks, the city planner assigned to NPU-D.
The applicant, developer Mark Pollack, sought to rezone 1011 Collier Road – currently zoned for light industrial, R-4 single-family residential, and RG-2 residential general—to MRC-3 high-density mixed-use residential and commercial.
On May 7, Pollock and team met with a group of some 60 residents of Underwood Hills and other neighborhoods surrounding the proposed development and was presented with a large majority of those attending telling the developer they do not want that much density in their residential neighborhoods.
Pollack and his team had presented a plan to build 55,000 square feet of commercial and office space along with 643 residential units on the 12.6-acre tract along Collier Road in the shadow of I-75.
Pollack told the residents at the early May meeting, “We certainly are going to evaluate it (the planned project)….and brainstorm about something we can do where it becomes more of a cooperative effort” before the project goes before the NPUs.
“We hope and expect that the applicant will reconsider and consider rezoning for lower density at the site,” said Martin.