Kotis Properties is looking for the Greensboro City Council to pull out a reversal tomorrow night. Following an Oct. 13 zoning commission vote to deny the developer's request for a rezoning at that northeastern corner of Holden Road and Spring Garden Street, applicant William M. Kotis has appealed in hopes that the city council will overturn the decision.
Jeffrey T. Nimmer, leasing and brokerage manager for Kotis Properties, wrote to Mayor Yvonne Johnson on Nov. 4 that his company is proposing a Dunkin' Donuts store for the site. Conditions attached to the request describe the development as a drive-thru restaurant. The site is flanked by a Mexican bakery and a convenience store.
The Lindley Park Neighborhood Association has opposed the rezoning. Zoning commission meeting draft minutes cite a concern about "several tragic accidents at this corner location in the past due to patrons trying to go east on Spring Garden Street and cut across traffic."
The site falls within the Spring Garden Street Pedestrian Scale Overlay District. Staff supports Kotis Properties' request, but draft minutes describing staff's position state that "auto-oriented uses such as a restaurant with drive-thru window are generally discouraged (but not prohibited) by the Spring Garden Street Scale Overlay District, and staff also has some concern about he integration of this individual site with the directly adjacent commercial structures at this intersection."
Overall, staff views the request positively: "This rezoning request will help promote a diverse mix of uses in the general area. It will also promote a healthy diversified economy with a strong tax base and opportunities for employment and entrepreneurship while at the same time promoting sound investment in Greensboro's urban areas. Additionally, it will also promote new patterns and intensities of use to increase economic competitiveness and enhance quality of life in urban areas."
Kotis contributed $1,000 to Mayor Johnson's mayoral campaign in 2007, and $500 to Zack Matheny's campaign during his run for city council to represent District 3 in the same year. At-large Councilman Robbie Perkins received $250 from Nimmer in 2007.
UPDATE, Nov. 19, 8:56 a.m.: Kotis Properties requested a continuance. Later, the council approved a request by District 3 Councilman Zack Matheny to appoint Nimmer to the city's minimum housing standards commission.
Kim Reittinger withdrew her request. Neighborhood opponents had flooded council chambers. Many were outraged when she asked for a continuance, which the council voted down. Neighbors fear she will resubmit a similar request within a year's time and force them to re-mobilize; applicants must wait 12 months before making the same rezoning request. An opponent stood up and spoke out of turn, telling the council, "If we have to come back in less than a year, you're going to have some unhappy people."
Mayor Pro Tem Sandra Anderson Groat, who presided over the meeting in Mayor Yvonne Johnson's absence, told them: "Just claim victory and go home."
3 comments:
i heard this case might be continued, check it out?
You might want to see the ridiculous rezoning case on new garden road which is the other case on agenda, there it was a 9-0 denial by zoning commission let's see where the city council stands on this one.
Thanks for the heads-up. Yes, Kim Reitinger, representing Quebec Associates LLC, is applying for a rezoning of property at 1302 New Garden Road from residential-single family to conditional district-residential multi-family. Actually, it was denied 8-0 by the zoning commission. Unlike the Kotis Properties request, staff denies approval of this one. Reitinger says she "hopes to develop this property to be able to keep the existing structure and add four (4) more units to the subject property. The existing unit would also be remodeled to facilitate handicapped residents...."
So, how did you find out that Kotis Properties' request was being continued?
little birdie told me, no I had heard that the parties involved are working out differences
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