A plan to build 14 villas at Main Street and Old Antonia Road in Imperial got the cold shoulder from the Jefferson County Planning and Zoning Commission.
The board voted 7-0 April 14 to recommend denial of a plan from William Mooney of Imperial to build the townhome complex on a 3.79-acre lot across from St. Joseph Catholic Church.
Mooney is seeking a rezoning from single-family residential and approval of a plan for a development he proposed to call Antonia Villas.
The P and Z board advises the County Council on rezoning issues in unincorporated areas. The council will consider the matter at an upcoming meeting as a resolution to deny Mooney’s request.
The site is steep and has an unoccupied home on it, and an unnamed tributary of Rock Creek makes up the northern property line.
David Vonarx of VonArx Engineering of Hillsboro, who represented Mooney at the hearing, said each of the 14 villa units would be priced at $400,000 to $425,000 and each would have a two-car garage.
Lots would range from 7,500 square feet to 14,960 square feet, according to the development plan.
Mooney’s application included several requests for modifications, including building a retaining wall along the creek that would be closer to the creek than county standards allow, and building four villas near the entrance that would be closer to the property line and closer to the street than county standards call for.
The county staff recommended the P and Z board reject both requests.
Vonarx said Mooney would be willing to redo the entrance to possibly eliminate two of the four villas at the front and redesign the back retaining wall to keep it out of the stream buffer.
About 30 people attended the meeting; most of them opposed the proposal.
Jerry Todd, a nearby resident, said he was worried about increased traffic at an already busy intersection.
“There is a church with a lot of traffic. There’s a school with a lot of traffic. There’s a firehouse (the Rock Community Fire Protection District House No. 2),” he said. “It’s all coming at such an angle and they’re talking about more traffic in this area. This may be legal but it’s not right.”
Vonarx said a 14-lot development is considered a low-traffic impact site.
Todd also said the retaining wall would cause more flooding in yards on the other side of the creek.
Vonarx said the wall should have no effect because the Mooney property is higher than the land on the other side of the creek.
Sergio Munoz, who has a home on the other side of the creek, said encroaching development has changed the character of the stream.
“I’ve lived on my property for 30 years. It used to never flood. Now, for whatever reason, we’re getting more heavy rains than ever before. What used to be a dry creek bed most of the year is now sometimes a raging river,” he said. “I’m afraid there will be a catastrophe sometime in the future that’s flood-related downstream.”
Munoz also said the wooded lot allows a refuge for wildlife.
“If you develop this, you’ll cut them off,” he said.
Planning commissioner Greg Bowers, who made the motion to deny the application, said he didn’t think the proposed development was a good fit for the area.
Larry Adkins, who seconded the motion, said he didn’t think the applicants were well prepared.
“They were changing things as we went, so it was hard to figure out what we were voting for,” he said.
Danny Tuggle said he had concerns about traffic at that intersection.
“It’s just not a good place to put more homes,” he said. “And there are a lot of things in that area that are going to increase traffic that haven’t been built yet.”