by Jennifer L. Johnson
WINTERVILLE - A nonprofit organization working to build a planned community for developmentally disabled people may ask the city of Winterville to create a new zoning class.
The would-be developers of Sycamore Ridge are working on a proposal for a new zoning district for Winterville, a class they are calling an "assisted residential district," said Planning and Zoning Commission member David Dreesen.
Sycamore Ridge representatives met with Dreesen and the city engineer to ask about how best to present their proposal, which is on the agenda for the commission's Oct. 5 meeting, said Dreesen.
"We're currently working with the Winterville Planning and Zoning Commission about zoning requirements," said Nicholas Harris, executive director of Sycamore Ridge. "Once the land has been zoned in the appropriate category, we'll be ready to move forward with developing."
Organizers met with the Planning and Zoning Commission early this month and proposed the city rezone the land under the "professional limited commercial" class, the type of zoning for places like doctor's offices and private schools.
Planning commissioners voted unanimously to reject the proposal because they didn't see the development - which plans to provide jobs for its residents in a garden center, artist market and café - as a private school, as organizers had suggested.
The developers decided not to appeal to the city council, and instead will propose the city create the new district.
The group plans to close on an 87-acre tract of land stretching from Parkview Drive across to South Main Street in Winterville on Dec. 31.
The development hinges on the zoning and closing the contract, said Harris. If everything goes according to plan, some housing and vocational programs for the first set of residents would be up and running within 16 months of closing on the land.
At a hearing in August, Winterville residents worried that rezoning the entire 87 acres would leave the city with no control over the type of commercial business that might go there if Sycamore Ridge fails.
Though some people expressed concern about traffic, Sycamore Ridge has not received any calls or e-mails from opponents.
"It's a collaborative effort," said Harris. "We're trying to meet the needs of the community, and the community is trying to meet the needs of Sycamore Ridge."
The organization has been receiving calls from families with questions about admission requirements, people interested in serving on the board and professionals looking for jobs.
"The residents of Winterville have been very, very open to us," said Harris. "We've tried very hard to address their concerns without jeopardizing the true mission of what Sycamore Ridge is all about."
The next Planning and Zoning Commission meeting is at 7 p.m. Oct. 5 in Winterville City Hall.
Originally published in the Athens Banner-Herald on Saturday, September 19, 2009
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