PROPOSED HOUSING PROJECT SCRAPPED

Rendrag Corp. was granted approval by the Cape Girardeau City Council Monday night to pull the plug on its own housing development project after it withdrew its rezoning request.

The council voted to comply with the request of Dr. Robert Gardner's proposed development of 33 acres, which called for rezoning of the tract from single-family residential to multiple-family dwelling.

Rendrag presented a plan at the Planning and Zoning Commission's July 13 meeting to rezone the property west of Perryville Road and south of Lexington Avenue.

The development would have included 134 units, 38 that would be single-family dwellings valued at $100,000 to $150,000. Another 20 units were to be four-plex condominiums and 44 were to be townhouses. The remaining 32 units were to be built into eight-unit apartment buildings.

The council, mindful that the Planning and Zoning Commission voted against the project 8-0, elected not to pursue the matter further, thereby eliminating the controversy that prompted 163 citizens to sign a petition opposing the venture.

In a similar matter, the request of Lexington Place, LLC, to rezone 10 lots from single-residential to two-family residential, was also withdrawn by Larry Haertling, managing partner for the project. The council granted the request. The Planning and Zoning Commission voted down Haertling's original request to rezone the lots.

On the recommendation of Parks and Recreation Director Dan Muser and architect Tony Sebek, the council rejected a bid for grading and seeding at the Shawnee Park Sports Complex.

"The only bid received was $132,650," said Muser. "The architect's estimated cost was $109,600. Mr. Tony Sebek has recommended that this bid is rejected since it is considerably higher than the cost estimate. The city staff concurs with this recommendation."

Dumey Excavation Inc. turned in the lone bid on the project.

Said Muser: "Because of the seasonal nature of this portion of the project, it is imperative that we proceed immediately with this phase by rebidding separately the various components of the project. We feel this will result in a better total bid price without causing undue delay of the project."

Monday's meeting, which lasted just 20 minutes, saw virtually every item on the agenda passed by the council.

Included was approval on second and third readings of a request by Boyd Missouri Inc., for a special use permit for purposes of constructing and operating landside support facilities and parking for the riverboat gambling vessel.

The city council appointed David R. Alberson to the Board of Appeals.

The council also passed resolutions to seek funding through the Community Development Block Grant program for a flood-recovery relief project to provide emergency power supply for the city's two waste-water treatment plants and to provide for improvements along South Sprigg Street.

Another item passed was an ordinance annexing land to the city upon the request of Mary Potashnick Harrison, Clothilda Ann Harrison Brinkopf, Charles R. Harrison and Reginald Basil Harrison.