Habitat for Humanity development plan draws neighborhood opposition

A proposed Habitat for Humanity residential development that will destroy much of a 14-acre wooded area in Cape Girardeau has sparked opposition from neighbors worried about property values.

But city manager Scott Meyer said the land is zoned R-1, or single family residential. As long as the development meets requirements for that zone, the city council must approve the project, Meyer said.

The Habitat for Humanity not-for-profit organization has proposed development of a 40-lot residential subdivision that would include six cul-de-sac streets. The site begins at the intersection of Clark Street and Lombardo Drive and extends north.

Al Stoverink, executive director of the local Habitat for Humanity chapter, said the owner of the land has suggested he would be willing to donate it. The owner of the site is Chad Hartle, who has developed low-income housing for the elderly.

In 2005, neighborhood opposition scuttled Hartle's plans for rental homes for low-income senior citizens on the same site. Within a year, that same neighborhood opposition prevented Hartle from proceeding with a revised plan to build eight apartment buildings with a total of 60 units for the elderly.

That project involved a request for rezoning and a special-use permit. Neither is being requested for the "Habitat Community of Hope" project.

Stoverink said Habitat likely would build 20 homes for low-income residents and sell the other 20 lots for private development of single-family homes. If approved by the city, the project likely would begin late spring at the earliest. Stoverink estimated it could take at least five years to build 20 Habitat houses.

"I think this is a great opportunity not just for Habitat but for the city as a whole," he said. "There has been a need for small, affordable homes for years."

Plans call for setting aside two acres for a park or other green space. The development would include a 10-foot-wide trail along the west side of the development, he said. Walkways between the houses would provide access to the trail.

The single-story homes typically would have over 1,100 square feet of space on the main floor. Some of the homes would have basements, Stoverink said.

"We expect the houses to appraise in the $130,000 range," he said.

Stoverink said the development would allow Clark Street to be extended.

The city's Planning and Zoning Commission unanimously approved a preliminary plat for the project last month. But some neighbors strongly oppose the project.

Christine Rice, who lives on North Clark Street near where it dead ends at the southern tip of the woods, said extending the street would add to traffic problems.

"Our street is very busy," she said. "It is already a racetrack through here."

She and other neighbors are worried about the number of houses that would be built in the area.

Like many in the neighborhood, Rice doesn't want to see the woods razed because it will mean the destruction of habitat for wildlife, including deer and foxes. She suggested the woods should be preserved as a park or nature area.

Rice said she has invested $40,000 into renovating her 100-year-old home. She said she worries property values will drop if the Habitat homes are built.

Rice and other neighbors said they learned of the project only recently.

"I am upset about it," Rice said, adding she and other opponents of the project plan to attend the Planning and Zoning Commission meeting Wednesday.

Stoverink and city staff plan to sit down with concerned neighbors at a special meeting at 7 p.m. Oct. 20 in city hall.

Stoverink said he believes in the long run, the development would enhance property values.

Sooner or later, he said, the woods will disappear.

"Unless the city acquires the land, at some point it will be developed by somebody," he said.

He added, "This is not public housing."

Stoverink said people who move into Habitat houses help build the structures with their "sweat equity" and pay mortgages of $450 to $550 a month.

"We don't give these houses away," he said.

Becki Essner, who lives on Stoddard Street and whose property abuts the proposed development, worries property values will decline in her neighborhood.

"I don't think the (proposed) homes are comparable to the surrounding homes," she said.

"It all comes down to resale value," said Essner, who has lived in her home for 34 years.

Essner said she supports the mission of Habitat but questions the location of the proposed development.

In addition, the development could add to drainage problems for some neighboring residents, she said.

Casey House lives on Ricardo Drive. Her property also borders the proposed housing development. House said real-estate agents have told her Habitat homes would have low resale value and could negatively affect property values in the surrounding neighborhoods.

She said she and other neighbors also would be inconvenienced by construction that could last as long as 10 years.

About 60 to 75 neighbors have signed a petition in opposition to the proposed development, House said, adding she expects that total will climb.

House said she hopes a compromise can be found that will address neighborhood concerns and meet the needs of Habitat for Humanity.

mbliss@semissourian.com

(573) 388-3641

Pertinent address:

Clark Street and Lombardo Drive, Cape Girardeau, Mo.