Neighbors challenge rezone request for twin homes on Carterville Road over parking and retaining wall safety

Roger Dudley, a civil engineer and land planner speaking for the Jolley family developers, described a proposed rezoning from R1-8 to LDR for two lots in Carterville that would allow two twin homes with walkout basements and large retaining walls built into the slope. Dudley said geotechnical and structural engineering reviews have been conducted and that the city will require owner-occupancy for each dwelling.

Neighbors voiced concerns about the retaining wall
nd cited a high-profile failure at a nearby school as a reason to demand robust drainage and engineering. Dudley said retaining walls will be designed by a structural engineer and must include proper drainage; he emphasized that water intrusion is the biggest threat to wall longevity.

Other residents said adding two units (four driveways) to narrow Carterville Road could worsen safety when cars back onto the collector road and increase on-street parking. Dudley said each unit would include two off-street spaces and a two-car garage, and that curb, gutter and sidewalk improvements would be part of the project, but he said the city may not be able to prohibit on-street parking in perpetuity.

Several residents raised broader worries about housing stock conversion to student rentals and the effectiveness of enforcement. The boardonfirmed that ADU and enforcement issues will be discussed in more depth at a future meeting with the code compliance officer; Melanie and other board members urged education and reporting to help enforcement and noted the use of targeted enforcement "blitzes" in other neighborhoods.

Next steps: The project is in the city review process and will go to the Planning Commission and, later, the City Council; neighbors were encouraged to attend those hearings to register comments and to track the application when it is scheduled.