Another group of neighbors get a re-zoning surprise in their neighborhood;
Residents of a western Sioux Falls neighborhood are raising concerns about a zoning change planned in the Rocky Ridge housing development off West 12th Street.
Orange signs began popping up in the area earlier this week, notifying residents that an application has been submitted to rezone a lot in the neighborhood from a conservation district to low density apartments.
Nearly 80 homeowners have signed a petition against the change that could pave the way for multi-unit town homes in the neighborhood.
I guess as I have watched how the planning department (mostly), planning commission and city council treat neighbors of planned re-zones and development over the past several years, all I can say is ‘good luck’. Developers will always get the upper hand. First off, because they own their land, and secondly because something commercial will eventually have to be built next to you. Is it fair? Not sure. We live in a growing city, even things change in my neighborhood, and I live 1 mile from the core of downtown.
“I’m not going to pay taxes on it for the rest of my life, I’m not going to do that, so something is going to happen with that piece of property, and I think personally this is by far the most attractive value for the dollar, for our houses.”
The homeowners against the rezone say they plan to address the Planning and Zoning commission at the public hearing that is scheduled on Wednesday, September 2 at 6 p.m.
The landowner says it himself, he invested in the land, and he is going to do something with it. But I will defend the neighbors on one level, the process of how these re-zones happen is not good.
The Shape Places policy with Home Rule Strong Mayor charter has taken away citizen interaction and took the power away from the council. Without realizing it, residents gave away the city and due process liberty. I hear babies born at Sanford don’t have male, female, or transgender on their birth certificate. They’re all zoned commercial.