Residents of the Wilson Road area and owners of nearby undeveloped land will have to wait at least two more weeks before finding out the fate of an overlay ordinance.
The Florence Planning Commission has deferred a decision on the Wilson Road Residential Overlay District and will hold a special meeting Sept. 23 to discuss an amended overlay with the public.
That decision came based on legal advice the commission received during an executive session at Tuesday night’s meeting, commission chairman Glynn Willis said.
Many residents in the area of the proposed overlay are concerned development of duplexes and townhomes would lead to project housing, multifamily living and increased crime.
Developers who appeared at the meeting said project housing is not their intention, and that any duplex or townhome built would be for single families.
“We are working with the community and with those who are involved with the development to try to come to some happy medium on development standards that will protect the quality of life and the aesthetics of the community,” Willis said after the meeting.
Several residents at the meeting live in the Wilson Heights subdivision, which is near part of the 130 undeveloped acres included in the proposed overlay.
John W. Miller, a longtime Wilson Heights resident, said he was told when he bought his home more than 30 years ago the neighborhood’s surrounding area would only be used to build single-family homes.
“No one should have the right to change the face of an entire community and destroy the hopes, dreams and realities of the citizens that have settled there,” Miller said.
Debbie Eaddy, whose late father, Bruce, was one of the original builders of Wilson Heights, owns 17 acres of the proposed overlay property.
Eaddy said the commission has approved for her to build a 29-lot subdivision for duplexes and conditional townhomes, and that none of the land is zoned for multifamily living.
“I am optimistic that the residents and the developers can come to some agreement that would be compatible to today’s market and what housing needs are today,” Eaddy said. “I want it to be a win-win because I don’t want to do anything to jeopardize the integrity of the subdivision.”
If the commission reaches a decision after the Sept. 23 meeting, a recommendation will be presented to Florence City Council, Willis said.
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