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Bel Aire denies multi-family housing
By Taylor Messick
Last Updated: August 31, 2018

On Aug. 21, the Bel Aire City Council failed to approve an item that would have allowed multi-family housing to be built in Bel Aire's Aurora Park. The item required a 75 percent majority vote to pass; it failed 4-2.

Residents of Aurora Park have been vehemently opposed to the project from the beginning. Members of the community have shown up to council meetings in large numbers each time an item related to the project has been on the agenda. On Aug. 21, they showed up again; this time they mostly wore red shirts as a sign of unity. They announced that they had created "The Aurora Park Task Force" to look out for community interests. They also brought signs calling for the council to back their cause.

Some of the concerns expressed by the residents were related to parking, trash, setbacks, drainage, the inconsistent plans for the project, property values and other things. Residents were also concerned that the appearance of the dwellings would not be consistent with those in the neighborhood.

There were accusations that David Floyd of the city's planning commission treated residents unfairly at the latest commission meeting; one resident called for Floyd to apologize. Floyd apologized but said he stood by everything he said. Floyd also said the planning commission did its best to find a solution, but he ultimately felt the residents wanted the lot to remain vacant.

The item being voted on this time included the stipulation of a planned unit development. This would have given the city the ability to give the developer direction over the aesthetics of the project. It seemed like that would not be enough for the Aurora Park residents judging by the crowd's reactions.

City Attorney Jacqueline Kelly explained that the item was odd in that the council essentially acted in a judicial manner in this circumstance. They were responsible for deciding whether a zone change and potential development were a good fit for the community and even directing which features would be appropriate.

Council members were mixed on their opinions of the item. Council members Justin Smith, Jeff Hawes and Jim Benage liked that the PUD would give them more direction over the appearance of the property; Mayor David Austin said he also begrudgingly supported the project despite the citizens' concerns. They were also concerned that the land has been vacant for years. Council members Jeff Elshoff and Betty Martine opposed the project because they felt it was not a good fit for the community and they have not liked the developer's work on the project thus far.

The council passed another item that changed the setback on the property from 50 to 40 feet. Since the previous item failed, the developer cannot apply for another zone change on the property for one year; it is currently zoned for commercial use.





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