The future use of two lots behind Atwoods at 401 East Second St. is still in limbo.

On Monday, the Planning and Zoning Commission voted unanimously to reject Joe Beard’s request to rezone the property from I-3 (industrial) to R-2 (duplex).

Neighboring homeowners, led by spokesman Tom Reeder, 312 E. Second St., appeared in person and wrote letters in opposition to the plan.

“Duplexes are not going to help our property values whatsoever,” said Reeder. He argued that renters and landlords do not keep up their properties as well as homeowners do. And he added that rezoning to R-2 in the midst of R-1 (single family) homes would be spot zoning. 

Beard had originally asked for R-1 zoning to build three single-family houses. The P&Z commission advanced that request to the City Council, where he was informed the properties are shy of the necessary width for three houses, meaning he could only build two houses.

City Administrator Carl Francis said it was the council that suggested R-2 as an alternative. To assume that Beard would build substandard duplexes or not maintain them “is an insult to him.”

He added that he applauds Reeder’s passion but it’s his position that there’s nothing wrong with the R-2 zoning at the edge of single-family housing.

Commission member Clarence Greeno made the motion to deny Beard’s request, agreeing that “if we go to anything but R-1 we are spot zoning.”

At one point, Beard said he had a solution, “Pay me $75,000 and I’ll walk away.”

2 more new houses on North Main Street

Schuber Mitchell Homes has already built some new homes on North Main Street and is requesting rezoning to build two more.

The houses would face each other, with one on the southwest corner of Main and Arch streets (522 N. Main St.), and the other on the southeast corner of the same intersection. There are two 25-foot lots on the southeast corner, which would be combined for 50 feet of frontage on Main Street.

The commission unanimously voted to advance the rezoning request to the city council.

1001 W. Daugherty already zoned R-2

Jason Hamlin assumed his building on the northwest corner of Madison and Daugherty streets was zoned commercial and was requesting R-3 zoning in order to convert it to three apartments.

He withdrew his request, however, when he was informed that the building is zoned R-2 instead of commercial.

Terry Mitchell represented the firm at the meeting. The properties in question