Residents come out against rezoning

PALMER -- No fewer than twenty Palmer residents turned out for the June 23 meeting of the Palmer City Council in order to protest the proposed rezoning of a tract of land near Brittany Estates near Palmer High School.

The property also lies near Felton Street, which is slated to be extended in the future to readjust traffic flow around Fred Meyer and the Carr's/Safeway shopping center, one of the city's most popular commercial areas. Development in the area is thus projected to increase significantly in coming years, prompting the city to rezone much of the land from residential, the standard designation for annexed undeveloped property, to commercial.

Both the Brittany Estates site and a nearby lot adjacent to Palmer High School have proved to be hot issues for residents in the area, since they abut housing sites and other living areas. On June 8, the council voted to rezone the latter lot to C-G with a list of conditions imposed upon the applicants.

This decision came after two weeks of deliberations and consideration of testimony from local residents, one of whom presented the council with a petition circulated in opposition to the rezone.

The council, in response to the public protest at the rezone, made a number of changes to the ordinance at the June 23 meeting. Among these alterations were a requirement for a 6.5-foot tall slatted or solid fence along the property's southern side, consolidation of driveways for the fewest possible access points, a 35-foot setback between commercial structures and property lines, light shielding and landscaping improvements. The tract's proposed area of rezoning was also significantly decreased, with 20,000 square feet of the property to be rezoned to be instead designated a city park or equivalent.

The amended ordinance will be resolved at the July 13 council meeting.

Contact Daniel Spoth at daniel.spoth@frontiersman.com.