The Mayor and City Commission are about to place our homes into a giant petri dish. They are experimenting with our property values, families and our quality of life when making many extreme and radical changes to the city’s Master Plan and zoning laws. When questioned at the September 16, 2024, Planning Commission meeting, city officials reluctantly admitted that there is not a comparable city in the United States that has successfully made so many changes at the same time. No evidence that the changes will result in good outcomes.

Their experiment includes making us the unwilling victims of the following 17 points:

1.    Eliminating the goals and objectives of the current very successful Master Plan that promoted growth in multi-family and commercial districts while protecting the quality of life in Single Family neighborhoods. When followed, the city experienced a period of increased property values and the enhanced quality of life for residents.  (Sec.1.1*, substitutes all new future land uses.)
2.    Eliminating One Family (“Single Family”) residential land use category, with its protections – instead substituting the term “Neighborhood Residential.” (Sec. 1.2)
3.    Increasing property taxes to pay for all the changes in the Master Plan. (Sec. 1.3)
4.    Additional costs represented by the $$$$ dollar signs. (Sec 1.3)
5.    Allowing on-street parking for the new apartments on the street in front of other homes or businesses. Eliminating onsite parking requirements citywide. (Sec 2.3.3)
6.    Daylighting sewers (dig up underground storm water sewers). (Sec. 2.4.5)
7.    Allowing Form Based Zoning. Single Family homes appear as a one family dwelling unit but are cut up into apartments. (Sec. 3.1.3 on p. 10, 3.1.4 on p. 51)
8.    Proposed “Neighborhood Residential” land use category allows Accessory Dwelling Units (a second house) in backyards and garages and apartment buildings in Single Family residential neighborhoods and more. (Sec. 3.2.2 on p. 10, 3.2.4 on p. 51)
9.    Allowing taller, high-density apartments without on-site parking or sufficient green space on Woodward and many major roads next to Single Family homes. (Sec. 3.2.0.2)
10.     Moving seniors out of their homes. Incentivizing seniors to move into small apartments and make their existing larger homes available. (Sec. 3.2.5)
11.    Current homeowners will pay for zoning incentives, financing incentives, tax relief and other benefits to help build the higher density housing. (Sec. 3.3.4)
12.    Widening sidewalks — another special assessment? (Sec. 6.6.1)
13.    Allowing shared driveways between homes – allows more density. (Sec. 6.6.6.1)
14.    Narrowing lanes on Woodward and many other roads citywide. (Sec. 6.3.1)
15.    Reallocating road tax money from repaving your street to pay for narrowing roads, bike lanes and greenways. (Sec 6.10.1)
16.    Considering parks, schools, golf course and open spaces for potential redevelopment. (Sec. 1.4)
17.    Ignoring residents’ recommendations to add thousands of affordable housing units by increasing density in the current low density multi-family zones instead of in Single Family neighborhoods. (All sections of the Master Plan)

(*All section numbers refer to the Master Plan draft dated June 7, 2024.)