A request to build a mixed-use development with 38 condos along Highway 92 in Woodstock has been withdrawn by the applicant after receiving pushback from the Woodstock Planning Commission and nearby residents.
The Woodstock City Council was scheduled to hold a public hearing and vote on the request April 22, but did not vote on it due to the withdrawal.
The request was from Michelle Horstemeyer for South on Main, LLC/The JW Collection for a conditional use permit and variances to build a mixed-use project consisting of 38 condominium units and about 8,000 square feet of office uses.
Community Development Director Tracy Albers said the city anticipates that the applicant will come back with a new application and/or request in the next few months.
No one signed up to speak at the public hearing.
At the April 11 planning commission meeting, the members voted 5-0 to recommended denial, citing concerns about what was proposed for the property. Feedback from city staff and city residents were also taken into consideration.
City staff recommended denial of the request prior to the planning commission meeting due to what they said were inconsistencies with the city’s goals of the comprehensive plan and the downtown LCI plan and what the applicant was asking for, as well as the project’s inconsistencies with the city’s land development ordinance.
Senior City Planner Niwana Ray told planning commissioners April 11 that city staff believes that a better design and blend of commercial uses could result in a project that enhances this transition area between the South on Main neighborhood to the north and Highway 92 to the south.
During the planning meeting, five South on Main residents spoke in opposition of the request, citing concerns with the residential aspect of the proposal in an area designated for commercial uses and the need for a concrete plan for the property. Some residents also said they were concerned about traffic flow in the area and how to safely enter and exit the property.
The original proposal for the 2.6-acre mixed-use project would have been located at the intersection of Woodpark Place and Woodpark Boulevard off of Highway 92. The site is accessed from Woodpark Place on the parcel’s western side.
A conditional use permit was required to allow for a residential development on a downtown parcel less than five acres.
The applicant requested to increase the base density of 12 units per acre (31 units maximum) in a downtown-commercial mixed-use district to allow a density of 14.57 units per acre (38 units).
The development would have consisted of two four-story mixed-use buildings with 8,000 square feet of ground-floor professional office uses with 33 condominium units above. These condo units would have ranged between 1,200 to 1,600 square feet each, according to city documents. Two additional two-story condominium buildings with five units total, each about 2,000 square feet with garages, would have also been included.
Most Popular
Comments / 0