Parcel Shouldn't Be Rezoned for Oakwood Station: Letter

The following letter was written and submitted by Kristie Webber.

I’m writing to encourage the City Council to adopt the Plan and Design Commission’s recommendation not to rezone the parcel at the intersection of Oakwood Avenue and Mulberry Street in Highland Park for the proposed “Residences at Oakwood Station” development. There was much deliberation, discussion and concerted effort expressed at three Plan and Design Commission meetings I attended in the last few months at which the proposed Oakwood Station development was on the agenda.

The Commission looked at various options presented by the developer and still recommended not to rezone from RM1 to RM2 in a 4 to 2 vote. The Commission sees a lot of plans and I would sincerely hope the City Council abides by the Commission’s recommendation not to re-zone this parcel when this appears on the Council’s February 22 agenda.

From everything I have learned about Highland Park’s master plan and by reviewing zoning maps, I feel strongly that the lots in question were meant to provide a transition from the density, size and commercial nature of the Central Business District to the R6 single-family home zone--the majority of the land directly adjacent to the lots in question.

These lots have been zoned RM1 for quite some time and have remained that way through many remapping projects--including the 2006 city-wide remapping. I can’t imagine that the need for a transitional zoning designation-RM1-has suddenly disappeared.

The developer has said more than once during the Commission meetings that the project is not economically viable if the zoning remains RM1. A re-zoning request of this nature feels like it’s a larger discussion. In my opinion “spot re-zoning” sets a bad precedent.

We want our neighborhood to maintain its single-family feel while welcoming a new, in-scale, multi-family development at RM1 zoning on these three empty lots.

Kristie Webber - Highland Park