Neighbors press council over traffic, access as rezoning for 49 affordable townhomes is heard

City planners and petitioners described a proposal to rezone about 5.38 acres east of Valleydale Road for 49 deed-restricted townhomes aimed at homeownership under the city’s Faith and Housing initiative.

Staff said the development would convert a mix of commercially zoned land and smaller parcels into a Neighborhood Two conditional plan and recommended approval pending resolution of transportation and building-design issues. Petitioner representatives said the project eliminates a previously proposed Goodman Road access, adds a Summerville Road entry and would provide deed-restricted for-sale townhomes, with “all dwellings will be deed restricted where there will be no rentals” (petitioner representative).

Petitioners also presented traffic estimates, saying the proposed 49 townhomes would generate about 323 daily trips compared with roughly 1,236 daily trips under the site’s current commercial entitlements — a reduction they characterized as “pretty significant.” They also said the homes would be affordable and focused on homeownership; the team described a seven-year minimum affordability deed restriction as intended to help buyers build equity.

Residents and nearby neighbors sharply disputed the sufficiency of the access plan and road capacity. Oak Street resident Bridget Harvey told council the neighborhood’s streets are narrow and have blind curves and parked cars that can reduce some blocks to a single lane: “The infrastructure of those two roads alone is not very good … Can you imagine 49 homes… perhaps two plus four cars a home coming through there?” she said, urging petitioners to explore alternative access or use existing easements.

Councilmembers pressed petitioners on the length of the affordability restriction and community outreach. One councilmember said seven years is short relative to other affordable-homeownership goals and asked whether petitioners would consider a longer restriction; petitioners said they chose seven years to support early equity-building for typical buyers but were willing to discuss longer terms at council direction. Councilmembers also asked for clearer documentation of community meetings: staff records included earlier meetings (one listing 60 attendees in April 2025) and petitioners reported multiple neighborhood meetings with smaller turnouts.

Petitioners committed to coordinate with City transportation staff and CDOT on mitigation measures, including signs and parking-management options. Council closed the public hearing and requested follow-up materials on traffic mitigation, community engagement records and clarity about the deed-restriction term before taking a final rezoning vote.

The hearing did not produce a final approval vote on the rezoning; council closed the public hearing and directed staff and petitioners to return with additional information and potential mitigation steps.