Merry Oaks Neighborhood Association

Plummer Rezoning Update - February 2, 2006

Developers Withdraw Rezoning Petition!

All...

In Nancy Pierce' absence it falls on me to convey to everyone the news that as of this afternoon, February 2, the developers (Grey Poole of MarkPiercePoole and Chris Ogunrinde of Neighboring Concepts) have *withdrawn* their rezoning petition for the Plummer property at the corner of Central Avenue and Briar Creek Road.

Nancy has been in regular contact with Grey Poole since the public meeting last Thursday, and he seemed to feel that proceeding forward with the proposed site plan for the rezoning was a losing proposition and he made the decision to not defer again in order to revise the plan further.

So, the plan that we have been dealing with since May, including the Aldi grocery store, is DEAD! Everyone who has been interested in and involved in this fight should feel very proud that we were able to stop a development that almost everyone agrees would have had a negative impact on our neighborhoods.

This means several things in the short and long run:

1. The February 20 hearing before City Council is cancelled. No one needs to sign up or prepare; with the rezoning petition withdrawn City Council will not be dealing with it.

2. What happens to the parcel now is back in the hands of Nancy Plummer. She and her realtor may attempt to find another developer who would want to rezone the property, in which case the whole process begins again. She may also decide to sell the property at its current multifamily residential zoning, in which case any new owner could either develop it at that zoning (in which case we will have less ability to sway what gets built there) or attempt to rezone the property themselves.

This is not the end of the line for the Central @ Briar Creek area and development, and certainly isn't for this Google Group! Since the Plummer property is now back to square one, we will be monitoring very closely what happens there, and attempting to influence things where we can. As we have stated many times, we do NOT oppose rezoning that parcel to Neighborhood Services (NS) or Multi-Use Development District (MUDD) - the 1999 Small Area Plan calls for development of that sort on that property. Our opposition was solely to the proposal offered by Mr. Poole and Mr. Ogunrinde, and we stand ready to work with any developer who presents a plan that is in line with the Small Area Plan, offers urban-level density and integration with the surrounding neighborhoods, and will act as a positive catalyst for the ongoing redevelopment of the Central Avenue corridor.

Similarly, the eight-acre Renfrow property across Central Avenue is still under contract, and we will be watching what happens there. Tuscan Development, who have contracted to purchase the property, have a good reputation as a progressive, urban-oriented developer, and we are eager to see their plans.

Finally, those neighbors who have been galvanized by the Plummer rezoning to get involved have helped new neighborhood organizations form and added strength to existing ones. Strong organization is a large part of what saw us through this rezoning fight, and our area benefits on many levels from having active neighborhoods. Developers have taken note of how we dealt with this rezoning and will not think us pushovers in the future. We hope that now that this phase of the Central @ Briar Creek fight is over, you will stay involved and help to strengthen all the neighborhood associations in this area. Everyone benefits if you do!

Thanks again to everyone!

Tom Poston