Cape Council approves next step for Ward 1 development

Cape Girardeau City Council members voted unanimously Monday, Dec. 5, to approve the first reading of an ordinance to rezone a property at the southwest corner of Lexington Avenue and Big Bend Road, paving the way for future development at the location.

The ordinance will be moved to the consent agenda of the next council meeting for second and third readings. Councilman Robbie Guard was absent from the meeting.

The 16-acre plot of land, owned by B and C Properties, was originally zoned as a Single-Family Suburban Residential District — R-1 — the ordinance, if formally approved at the next council meeting, will rezone the land to Residential Urban Mixed Density District — RUMD. Megan Andrews, an attorney who spoke at the meeting on behalf of B and C, said the developer would like to do a mix of duplexes and multi-family development in the plot.

One of the goals is to provide housing for college students and others involved at Southeast Missouri State University, given the area's proximity to campus.

The recommendation to the council to rezone the land was not achieved through a unanimous vote — which is often the case — from the city's planning and zoning commission. Commission members voted 4-2 in favor of approving the rezoning request.

The commission members who voted against rezoning purportedly had concerns about potential development in the area, specifically citing previous alleged issues with the Legends Apartment Complex in the 2000 block of North Sprigg Street, west of the Lexington/Big Bend property. Legends had some apparent issues with crime, including a shooting in early 2022 that later prompted the complex to host a forum on security issues.

Legends was thrust into the spotlight during a recent council decision on whether to grant a special-use permit to operate a gas station across the street from the apartment complex. Eric Jakimier, founder of Domus Development LLC. — the Texas-based developer of the complex — spoke at the meeting where the permit decision was made, defending the complex from what he called inaccurate perceptions about crime in the area. The complex has been working with the Cape Girardeau Police Department and is participating in CGPD's Crime-Free Multi-Housing Program.

Andrews said B and C had been in contact with decision-makers at Legends to talk about what issues the complex had and what caused them, which she attributed to Legends being forced to rent to tenants of all kinds during the pandemic bringing in "unsavory characters" at that time.

"We don't think there's any bearing to this (the rezoning request), but I know there were some concerns in regards to crime in the Legends area," Andrews said.

Andrews said plans have not been finalized but the developer plans to do buffering for the developments and create multiple exit paths in order to not significantly increase traffic in the area.

Dan Presson, representative for Ward 1 where the development would be located, said he was pleased with plan that was presented before council.

"I'm excited to see this type of development, this type of investment for Ward 1, because I think it will actually benefit some of our citizens and bring more citizens into Ward 1. Just because we need more of that more modern housing," Presson said.

He added that he has heard from constituents a need for more 55-plus housing in the area.