Cape Girardeau City Council makes decisions on zoning requests

Cape Girardeau City Council members listened to numerous citizen complaints and voted on two zoning issues at their meeting Monday, Jan. 9.

The most contentious of the evening was whether to set a public hearing for the consideration of rezoning a property at 2530 Marsha Kay Drive from R-1 (single-family residential) to NC (neighborhood commercial).

The ordinance was initially a part of the meeting's consent agenda but was removed following a motion by Mayor Stacy Kinder to allow the council to have further discussion and hear from city staff and residents. At their Dec. 14 meeting, Planning and Zoning Commission members voted unanimously against recommending a rezoning of the property.

City planner Ryan Shrimplin said no reasoning was given by individual committee members for their vote but that many residents attended the P&Z meeting to speak in opposition of the rezoning.

Shrimplin — who spoke first at Monday's meeting at the behest of Kinder — explained that if the council voted in favor of the public hearing, then it would be held Monday, Jan. 23. If members voted against the hearing — upholding P&Z's denial — then the property owner could request the hearing within 10 days of the "no" vote. According to city charter, it would have to be granted. Shrimplin said at the meeting, prior to any public comments, that he was aware the applicant was at the meeting and prepared to do just that.

Also prior to the comments, council member Nate Thomas spoke in favor of the public forum. The property is in his ward, and he said he has already heard concerns from many residents and would like those to be presented before the council.

"Sounds like we will do that regardless of how this vote goes. There will be a public hearing," Kinder said.

What followed was essentially an eight-minute public hearing on the rezoning request — a decision that was not being made at that council meeting — before council members voted unanimously to host the hearing Jan. 23.

Council members also voted unanimously to approve the rezoning request of a property at 2854 La Croix Road from R-1 to R-4 (medium-density multifamily residential district). P&Z members voted unanimously to approve the request at their Dec. 14.

The property owner is planning to put multiple apartment buildings with one- and two-bedroom apartments on the lot.

A public hearing was held at the beginning of Monday's meeting on the request. One area resident voiced concerns about traffic issues that already exist in the area, she said, and could be exacerbated by the addition of apartment buildings. She urged the city to consider improving the area or denying the request. Shrimplin said later in the meeting that the stretch of roadway affected was maintained by the Cape Special Road District and not the city. He said the Special Road District has not indicated they will be making infrastructure improvements to the roadway. Traffic is a consideration taken by the P&Z Commission when evaluating requests, he added.

SE MO Redi

Council members voted unanimously to approve the appointment of Kinder to the board of SE MO Redi. The mayor will be taking over for Councilman Dan Presson who was absent from the meeting. Presson resigned from his post on the board, Kinder said Monday.

According to the city's agreement with the economic development organization, the City Council members can vote to appoint two members to the organization's board. The appointees do not have to be council members.

Robbie Guard was recently reappointed to the board by unanimous vote at the Dec. 19 council meeting.