Plan Commission sends rezoning request of James Stone to City Council with no recommendation

A request to rezone 10.5 acres of land on West Jefferson Street from Industrial to Multi-Family Residential will go to the Plymouth Common Council without a recommendation. 

Tuesday evening, the Plymouth Plan Commission heard the request of James and Sara Stone to change the zoning to R-4, which would allow for a multi-family development on the property.  The wooded lot sits back from Jefferson Street and immediately to the west of Windmill Park.

Plymouth Plan Director Ty Adley said the proposed project is a 50-unit development with a mixture of two and three-bedroom units housed within two-story buildings. During the initial Technical Review Committee meeting, there were no red flags for the development based on the rezoning of the property. Adley stated that the city department will conduct a detailed analysis, and the engineering and design process will proceed. 

Adley told members of the Plan Commission they must consider the city’s Comprehensive Plan, current conditions, desired use, property values, and responsible growth.

Speaking for the Stones was Sara Ford from the development team. She said the project is comprised of three residential buildings and a separate community clubhouse building. The project aims to provide high-quality, affordable housing for working individuals and families. The rents are not subsidized. There would be a little bit of a discount compared to a typical market-rate property.  A family of four with 80% of the Area Medium Income (AMI) could be $75,000 to $80,000 annually. The project is for individuals making 30% AMI to 80% AMI. As for rents, the lowest, with a 30% AMI, would be $621 gross, while a three-bedroom unit at 80% AMI would be $1,400 gross. 

The total development cost is approximately $15 million, and the construction cost per unit was estimated at $ 213,000 per door.  The proposal is for residents to enter and exit the development on Jefferson Street.

During the public hearing, several neighbors spoke against the development.  One said it will hurt property values, and he was concerned that there are no sidewalks for residents to use on Jefferson Street. An adjacent neighbor said he wanted a privacy fence between his property and residential development to keep renter off his land.  Neighbors didn’t like the idea of losing their peace and security, and another was concerned about the additional traffic on Jefferson Street and the speeds people drive there.

Neighbors were reminded that the property is zoned industrial, and many other louder, dirtier, and smellier operations could be operated on the acreage. 

The city plan director did say that the project fits into the city’s comprehensive plan.  He told the plan commission that they wouldn’t make the final determination; they would be sending a recommendation to the Plymouth City Council.

With eleven members on the Plan Commission, a majority vote of six would be needed to send a favorable recommendation or denial to the city council. There were only nine members present for the meeting. On the first vote, the Plan Commission wanted to table the request for 30 days to allow members to view the site and do additional research. The vote was 5 to 4 to table, and without a majority, it didn’t pass.  The second motion was to send a favorable recommendation to the city council for the rezoning, and that vote was 5 to 4, so it didn’t pass.  After some discussion, it was decided to send the request without a recommendation.