We do NOT oppose adding density to our city, but it must be properly located and abide by the standards of any neighborhood it occurs in.
We want fair housing (homes and apartments) to be offered to people of all income-levels, ethnicities, religions and lifestyles.
This will preserve keeping it “our” town, and not one ruled by corporate interests.
To most of us, our residential home is our single largest investment. It’s an investment not just for us, but for those that might live on after us.
Midtown residents think long-term, and most of us maintain our almost 100 year-old homes to last another 100-200 years.
Lea’s Woods have experienced first-hand, the damage that apartment complexes run by LLC’s can bring. The 3 apartment buildings on Parkway between Sam Cooper and Summer became so dilapidated they were uninhabitable, and sat there for years. On their way spiraling downward, they contributed to blight and crime on Forest Street and beyond.
Do Lea’s Woods homeowners worry that this could happen again on a larger scale in 15-30 years? Just as you would, many certainly do. Please picture this happening to you or your parents that worked so hard to secure the long-term value and enjoyment of your home.
Could any developer then buy some property next to your home and just throw up a 4, 5 or 6 story building, and override our cities Unified Development Code, that states p.239: “The proposed development will not unduly injure or damage the use, value and enjoyment of surrounding property”.
MRG has the legal right to build apartments on the 7 acres they purchased, and we respect that right and intend to be good neighbors.
However, that should go both ways so one would expect them to abide by the neighborhood standards (building height, etc) that City Council approved in 2003. Although we’ve yet to see it, we hope they will respect the integrity and value of our homes, which we and others all throughout Midtown cherish.