Neighbors raise tree, sidewalk and sinkhole concerns as council approves PUD amendment on Fairmont Avenue

The City Council approved a proposed amendment to a planned-unit development affecting roughly 10.9 acres around Fairmont Avenue and West Wick Street after a public hearing that included firm neighborhood objections.

Arthur Christian, who lives at 523 Fairmont Avenue, told the council the planned design is "insane" and raised multiple concerns: missing sidewalks, encroachment by a neighboring business (National Fruit) onto private property, and the area's limestone/karst geology that he said raises sinkhole risk as additional weight and water are added. "You need to stop this and, like, go to 2 story buildings, which is more with the neighborhood area," he told the council. Kate Christian, an adjacent homeowner, emphasized prior commitments to a 25-foot setback buffer, urged preservation of mature trees in that buffer and asked that engineering and construction avoid soil disturbance that could harm tree roots.

Planner David Stewart described the applicant's request as a phasing change "to decouple 1 geographic area from the other" so each side would be able to proceed independently; he said there were no changes to the previously approved development plan besides phasing. Councilors asked questions about stormwater and clarified that a portion of the relevant property is city-owned and will remain green space but would not be available as common recreational open space. The council moved to approve the rezoning amendment after the discussion.