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Tempers flare during Cottages of Beavercreek discussions

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BEAVERCREEK — Tempers flared Wednesday night at a Beavercreek Planning Commission meeting, as neighbors of a controversial proposed housing development once again packed the city’s council chambers.

Commissioners again voted to table a rezoning vote on the Cottages of Beavercreek proposal after discussions with city staff; Charlie Simms, the site’s developer; and representatives of the neighboring communities. Planning Commission voted to table the item at its May meeting to allow for Simms to meet with the neighbors to work out some compromises.

At the May meeting, neighbors raised concerns about safety, property values and aesthetics, which they largely echoed Wednesday.

Simms said previously that the 20-acre strip of land off County Line Road under consideration would be developed with “empty nester type” homes with an average price of around $200,000. The undeveloped land was previously part of the Miracle Woods Stable.

Following the May meeting, the two sides met and worked out some changes to the proposal – including Simms committing to only one-story homes, extended buffer and no-grade zones, as well as a decreased number of units at the site – but neighbors were still unhappy.

“It was clear to me that there’s still more concerns and that this definitely was not a true consensus being reached,” Bryan Daniel, a representative of the adjacent Cinnamon Ridge neighborhood, said during the meeting. “There was a lot of issues that progress was made [on], but I would not say that everybody came to the understanding that they’re now content with the design and supportive of the proposed Cottages of Beavercreek plan.”

Commissioners declined to reopen the public hearing, which was closed after public comments at the May meeting, drawing the ire of some of the crowd.

“I’m sorry, we can’t open this back up,” Planning Commission vice chairman Daniel Archibald said when some of the members of the crowd attempted to speak. “It’ll just become a madhouse.”

“Come on,” one man sitting in the front row responded. “This is why we’re here.”

Before Planning Commission voted to table the issue, Commissioner Charles Curran made a motion to approve the rezoning recommendation but his motion died for lack of a second. Commission will pick up consideration of the issue at its July meeting.

Neighbors of a controversial proposed housing development once again packed Beavercreek’s council chambers Wednesday night.
http://aimmedianetwork.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/32/2016/06/web1_meeting.jpgNeighbors of a controversial proposed housing development once again packed Beavercreek’s council chambers Wednesday night. Nathan Pilling | Greene County News

By Nathan Pilling

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Reach Nathan Pilling at 937-502-4498 or on Twitter @XDGNatePilling.