A developer’s zoning request that would result in a 312-unit apartment complex in Boone County has been denied by the Boone County Planning Commission.
The panel’s decision regarding the zone change request from commercial to residential use was issued during Wednesday’s planning commission business meeting and will now be forwarded to the Boone County Fiscal Court for the final determination, officials said.
The project, which has spurred concerns from some county residents, calls for Continental Properties to build 312 multi-family units on 20 acres along Paddock Drive between Richwood Road and Stirrup Lane, and Frogtown Connector Road.
As a national developer, Continental Properties has over 125 communities nationwide, Continental Properties Director of Development Cameron Miller said.
A housing study released earlier this year found that there are more jobs in Boone County than there is housing for those workers. It also found that the region as a whole is low on one- and two-bedroom units.
The zone change/concept plan committee met and voted 5-0 to recommend approval of the zoning amendment to the full planning commission, said Boone County Zoning Services Planner Steve Lilly.
But the full commission voted 7-6 to deny the developer’s request for the zone change to residential use.
“My concern is the timing,” commission member Tom Szurlinski said. “We’re talking about adding 312 additional families and the vehicle and foot traffic that goes with that. I just have too many concerns about the traffic and congestion.”
Motorist safety is a concern raised by commission member Bob Schwenke.
“The other night, I was taking Richwood (Road) about 7:30, and I was going south,” Schwenke said. “I couldn’t get off the expressway, it was both lanes to the Frogtown Connector all plugged up and they were sitting on the expressway. I thought maybe it was wreck or something, but there wasn’t a wreck. It was all going into the truck stop. They had it blocked and it’s not safe to be on that expressway.”
A vote in favor of the request was cast by commission member Steve Harper.
“Certainly there is traffic issues down there,” said Harper. “Hopefully the new interchange is helping them a lot. We haven’t seen it totally, yet. But I do believe this is a less intensive use than a commercial use.”
After walking the site, the potential issues with enabling the construction of an apartment complex became more evident, officials said.
“I’ve been down there and we have so many projects,” Boone County Planning Commission Board Chairman Charlie Rolfsen said. “First Church of Christ is planning on building a new church, we have the senior center that’s not open yet, TA (Travel Center) is not opened up yet, we have a proposal for two more restaurants on Richwood Road and we have Publix that’s not in yet.”
It is a case of too much, too soon, Rolfsen said.
“I’m looking at that site,” Rolfsen said. “That traffic is 24 hours a day and you have tremendous peak hours. Now we have only one way for people to get in and one way for those people to get out. How is this traffic going to flow?”