Adevelopment which would have built a high-density “new Urbanist approach” community in Newcastle next to an existing subdivision with half-acre and up lots failed by a 3-2 vote of the City Council.
The vote came in the Council’s Monday, May 11 meeting. The “new Urbanist approach” would have consisted of a diverse 77-acre development of single-family homes, a multi-family district, and a Village Center commercial and residential area. Working with City staff to address area resident’s complaints about some of the design and the development’s proximity to the existing addition, R&R Land Development changed several aspects of the design before the May 11 meeting.
The Council was to determine whether they would approve R&R’s requests to change Riverview Villages from a Planned Unit Development (PUD) and change the zoning from General Commercial to Mixed Use Residential. The 3-2 vote against the PUD ensures that Riverview Villages will not go forward as designed.
While Mayor Karl Nail and council member Gene Reid voted to approve the PUD change, Council members Marci White, Mike Fullerton, and Todd D’Amico voted against.
During the meeting, home owners from the existing Riverview Estates said they were concerned with many issues including density, traffic, an inconsistency with the existing development, inflow and outflow of traffic onto State Highway 37, and the threat of short-term rentals in the area along with lack of upkeep on property.
In discussion before taking a vote, Council member White said among her concerns was the multi-family aspect and the ability of the property to hold up over time. Council member Fullerton said he had concerns with the brick and rock facade requirement of only 40%, and also the dense areas where the water and sewer lines would be placed, as well as future overall sewer service to the area. He said the brick/rock requirements should be increased.
D’Amico said the City normally has a fee in lieu of creating park land, but this development does not have a fee and no park land is being required.
He also said he had talked with veteran homeowners in the area who were concerned with a tree-lined area on the development’s northwest side, which they wanted protected. The developer agreed during the meeting they would protect it.
Council member Gene Reid said he was pleasantly surprised with the changes to the design of homes proposed for the development’s north border. He also said that not everyone in the neighborhood is against the concept, and then there are some who would be fine with just minor changes.
He noted that the proposal has been one of the most complex to come before the City Council, and that because of that complexity, it had been to the Planning Commission two-to-three times before.
Mayor Nail said the development was a significant down zoning with houses proposed instead of the General Commercial and the possibilities of what comes with that. He said there were compromises that were put forth, and he believed that the development could have been beneficial to the area.
