Jackson neighbors reach zoning compromise

There were a few things missing from Tuesday night's public hearing at Jackson's board of aldermen meeting.

Gone were the fuming homeowners.

The finger-pointing, the arguing, the bemoaning of lower property values were replaced by pats on the back and the repeated use of the word "compromise."

The lack of animosity made for a different atmosphere as the board voted to change the zoning along Gerald Street for professional use.

Gerald Street property owners have been dealing with traffic issues since the 1980s. They live on a short concrete loop that connects Jackson's busiest thoroughfare, East Jackson Boulevard, to Rosamund Drive. The noise of sputtering truck exhaust on East Jackson Boulevard is audible as soon as the street's residents open their front doors.

But the Gerald Street homeowners on the north side of the street, farthest from the boulevard, still consider their street a residential one. That's why they fought against a change that would have allowed commercial businesses.

The property owners on the south side of the street originally asked for a commercial zone several times. But in previous trips to city hall, the city didn't have an office zoning option. In December, the property owners on the south side petitioned for commercial zoning and once again the change met with protest. But the two sides worked out their differences through settling on a professional office zoning status, which allows for doctors' offices, real estate or engineers' offices,

Homeowner Rob Grayhek said the people on the north side of the street never had a problem with the property being zoned commercial. Most of the neighbors thought a commercial zoning would allow too much traffic.

"Yes, there will still be traffic," Grayhek said. "But when you talk about commercial, you talk about possibly a gas station or a liquor store. We don't want that around our children."

Not everyone on Gerald Street was happy about the decision. In the morning prior to the meeting, Mary Schubert said she is concerned that employees from the nearby businesses already drive too fast on the road. She is afraid that more businesses, commercial or otherwise, will make the situation worse.

The rezoning follows a recent pattern of zoning requests along the boulevard. In July last year, the board denied a request by a bakery owner to extend the commercial property another 100 feet to the back for a drive through. However, the board changed the zoning for Michael and Joyce Baker, who said they couldn't sell their house because of the busy traffic in front of their home.

bmiller@semissourian.com

243-6635