A request by Mr. Michael Kraker to allow residential uses in a business zone was shot down by the Board of Aldermen.  Kraker wanted to continue adding apartments next to one of his existing apartments on the corner of Highway 182 and North Montgomery, much to the dismay of surrounding neighbors.

            Aldermen Matt Cox motioned to deny Kraker’s request and the motion was second by Perkins and all aldermen present except Richard Corey agreed with the motion. Janette Self was not present at the meeting.

            The board voted in favor of four other requested zoning alterations that were previously reviewed by the Planning and Zoning Commission.

            The aldermen also approved the much discussed and revised False Alarm Ordinance, as well as the updated Administrative Fine Schedule Resolution and the adoption of a Stop Sign Implementation Policy.

            For more information on these decisions and unmentioned decisions please check out the Board of Aldermen article tomorrow.

Sonny Kelly began the rubber chicken stump circuit at Rotary for the $27.5 million bond issue for OCH. He rehashed the needs in his speech and Q&A.

The pull quote:

“At this time, our debt service ratios will not allow us to carry the debt this size,” Kelly said.

Then shouldn’t they wait until they can support the debt? Isn’t that what has lead to the current housing crisis? Buying more home than you can afford?

OCH’s bond issue is the subject of our new poll this week. Let’s find out what the community thinks.

Starkville Daily has the story.

This photo was submitted July 9, 2008 by a reader questioning why there as a city vehicle wth an expired tag in operation.  The tag is one of the older designs, long since replaced by the new lighthouse design for the plates.  The photo was taken around noon at the corner of Montgomery and University/Main at Rooney’s Barber Shop.  Any info or explanation would be appreciated.

1:48 PM UPDATE: Alderman Richard Corey rsponds with this email:

“Robbie,
After reading your blog post about a city vehicle without a current tag, I emailed our police chief and CAO to get to the heart of the matter. Below is the chain of our correspondence. Doug Devlin’s response helps to answer the question.
Richard Corey”

From:    “Doug Devlin”
To:    “‘D. Lynn Spruill’”  “‘Chief Lindley’”
Subject: RE: Expired Tag?
Date:    Thu, 10 Jul 2008 12:10:01 -0500

Lynn,
This is apparently a truck that the City sold in an auction because the
license plate in not a tax exempt municipal tag…..
I suggest having the PD run the plate number (GG1-047), contact the owner
and tell them that the City of Starkville identification markings need to be
covered up….
Doug

by Jogee Lenarduzzi
StarkvilleNow correspondent.

The Planning and Zoning Commission denied a much-debated request to change a property on Academy Road from commercial use to multi-family, and then approved another controversial conditional change near the corner of North Montgomery and Highway 182 East.

Both requests were discussed at length by members of the community during a public hearing at the Tuesday night meeting.

The property on Academy Road is currently a horse pasture, but B&P Developers of Mississippi had hoped to rezone it so they could build a 63-plot neighborhood of single-family homes. Developers Eric Parker and Frank Brewer wished to aim the homes at young families and retirees, but neighbors to the project were unsupportive.

The Home Owners Association of Academy Place received about 90 signatures on their petition against the zoning change. They fear that by changing the zone to an R-3 (multi-family zone), their property values could go down because so many different things can be placed on an R-3. The area would be open to trailer parks, duplexes, etc.

They residents also expressed fears of market saturation and not enough demand for the new real estate, as well as an increase in an already high traffic area.

“We intend to build only single family homes on the property…no condos or rentals,” developer Parker said.

Some homeowners stated they would rather have the single family homes built than risk having a commercial business as a neighbor.

However the Commission agreed with the nervous neighbors, and Jerry Emison motioned to deny the request. He said the kinds of developments allowed by an R-3 zone were not consistent with the current neighborhood. His motion was seconded by James Bryan and approved by all members except Ben Bounds, who opposed the motion, and James Hicks who did not vote because of his working connections.

Michael Kracker requested the other property change. He asked for conditional usage for apartments in a general business zone. The property is next to an apartment complex Kracker already owns.

Mark and Heather Shankle own property on North Montgomery adjacent to the proposed construction sight, and they both spoke against the possibility of having more apartments so close. They listed issues of privacy, security, congestion on the roads and most importantly, water runoff problems.

The Shankles said they already have major run-off issues in their yard and believe the new construction will only make the problem worse. They, along with other neighbors, fear that their property value will go down.

“It is an overall demise to the old historic district,” Mark Shankle said. Several of his neighbors agreed.
John Shaw, another neighbor opposed to the project,also spoke. “I’m not quite certain how this will benefit this community,” Shaw said.

After much debate and one failed motion by Emison to not approve the request, Bounds made a motion to approve the request with certain restrictions. The motion was seconded by John Moore and passed 4-3. Bounds, Moore, Pat Bryan and Dora Herring were in favor and Hicks, Emison and Loveless opposed. Kracker agreed to continue a retaining wall to make the property more appealing to nearby neighbors and people driving on Highway 182.

Along with these decisions, the Commission named and Herring their new chairperson and Bryan the vice chairperson.

They also voted to change several residentially zoned plots on Highway 12 and Pat Station Road to commercial zones. Owner David Cork requested the changes so another hotel could be built near the Hilton on the bypass. The commission voted in favor of the zone change saying they believe that due to the bypass, the neighborhood has changed and will continue to become more commercial.

The Commission also voted on several other items and adjourned after three and a half hours.

By Jogee Lenarduzzi

The Planning and Zoning Commission denied a much-debated request to change a property on Academy Road from commercial use to multi-family. They then approved another controversial zoning conditional change near the corner of North Montgomery and Highway 182 East.

Both requests were discussed at length by members of the community during a public hearing at the P. and Z. meeting. The property on Academy Road is currently a horse pasture, but B&P Developers of Mississippi and hoped to rezone so they could build a 63-plot neighborhood of single-family homes. Developers Eric Parker and Frank Brewer wished to target the homes at young families and retirees, but neighbors to the project were unsupportive. The Board agreed with the neighbors and Commissioner Jerry Emison motioned to deny the request because he said the kinds of developments that are allowed by an R-3 (multi family zone) were not consistent with the current neighborhood. His motion was second by Commissioner Pat Bryan, and then approved by all members except Ben Bounds who opposed the motion and Hicks who did not vote because of his working connections.

The other property change was requested by Michael Kracker. He did not wish to change the zone, but to receive conditional usage for apartments in a general business zone. The property is next to an apartment complex already owned by Kracker, and the new complex is opposed by surrounding neighbors. After much debate and one failed motion by Emison to not approve the request, a motion was made by Ben Bounds to approve upon certain restrictions. The motion was second by Moor and passed by votes from Pat Bryan and Dora Herring. The motion was opposed by Hicks, Emison and Loveless.

For more information on these decisions and the rest of the meeting, check the full story tomorrow.

In an attempt to highlight locales in NE MS that might serve in place of a family vacation, the Journal profiles the Charles H. Templeton Sr. Music Museum on campus. The “Staycations” name for the series of articles is pretty lame though.