The sides in a rezoning request are usually pretty clearly drawn between those in favor and those opposed, but a speaker at the Zoning Commission meeting on Monday, Sept. 16 took speaking for and against to a new level.
It does make a difference because speakers in favor of the rezoning get 15 minutes and then speakers opposed get 15 minutes. Then both sides get a five minute rebuttal period.
On the rezoning request for 5907 Ballinger Road, Duncan Henshall, a neighbor, may have ploughed new territory. Henshall got up to speak during the time for those in favor. Since most of what he was saying was opposed Chairman of the Zoning Commission Adam Marshall asked if he didn’t want to wait and speak during the opposition time period. Henshall said, “Not really. I’m for it. I’m ok with it.” Then he continued to speak against the rezoning request.
During the rebuttal period. When it came time for the opposition rebuttal, Henshall got up and added a few more aspects of the proposed rezoning he didn’t like. So he spoke both during the time for those speaking in favor and during the time for those speaking in opposition on the same issue.
Evidently the Zoning Commission took Henshall at his word that he was in favor and passed the rezoning request by a unanimous vote.
The actual speaker in favor was Chuck Truby who along with being a civil engineer is chairman of the Board of Adjustment, so he’s very familiar with the process. The .78 acres on Ballinger Road was rezoned from Conditional District-Residential Multi-family-12 (CD-RM-12) to Conditional District-Residential Multi-family-12 (CD-RM-12) with the main difference being an increase from a maximum of four units to a maximum of eight units.
The Zoning Commission also rezoned land at 3523-3527 Lewiston Road from Conditional District-Residential Multi-family-12 (CD-RM-12) to Conditional District-Residential Multi-family-12 (CD-RM-12) at the request of George Carr of Beacon Management. Carr was also asking for an increase in density, from 208 units to 240 units. It was also approved unanimously.
It doesn’t appear to make much sense to rezone land to the same zoning classification as it is currently zoned, but changing the conditions forces the property owner to go back through the process.
