New Twist on South Lincoln Apartment Proposal

At the developer's request, Kent City Council members delayed a vote on until March at their meeting Wednesday night.

The Edwards Communities Development Companies, the Columbus-based firm proposing a 596-bed apartment complex, asked council to delay their vote on a rezoning request for the project in light of new information presented to council members Wednesday about the issue.

Kent attorney Dave Williams, who represents the development company, said after the meeting he asked for the delay so Kent's law department can review a proposal finalized Wednesday afternoon.

The proposal, Williams said, is based on a letter signed by all five property owners Edwards Communities would be buying out for the 10-acre project. All five property owners agreed to a proposal that if council approves the rezoning request to a higher density R-4 zoning but the project as proposed fails to come to fruition, then the land would revert back to the existing, lower-density R-3 zoning.

"As if nothing happened," Williams said.

The idea is meant to try and assuage fears of some neighborhood residents, who expressed concern about the rezoning opening the door for a much more dense complex if the Edwards Communities project does not materialize.

Williams said he didn't believe it was fair for council to vote on the issue when new information had just been presented Wednesday night — the final landowner's signature on the letter wasn't obtained until Wednesday afternoon, he said.

Councilman Wayne Wilson apparently agreed and moved to put the issue back into a committee meeting for discussion on March 2, with a special council meeting scheduled immediately afterward to address whatever conclusion council reaches on the matter in committee. Wilson's motion passed unanimously.

High Street residents Marc Kirby and Cassandra Pegg-Kirby are two of those residents who are afraid the rezoning will allow a larger rental complex in the neigborhood if Edwards Communities fails to construct its proposed project.

“My fear is it would open Pandora’s box," Kirby said of the rezoning request.

"Rezoning to R-4 potentially allows a much, much larger project than that being proposed,” fellow High Street resident Larry Andrews said.

About a half dozen residents urged council to reject the rezoning request Wednesday night for a number of reasons other than the fear of a larger complex being built.

Councilwoman Heidi Shaffer said the proposal that the land revert to R-3 zoning if Edwards Communities fails to build is at least worth more discussion.

"I believe, for a number of reasons, that this is an opportunity," Shaffer said. "I don’t know that we should kill it yet, because we have some possibilities of restricting the development and holding this company to what they say they’re going to do.

"I really have to take a larger perspective on this," she said. "I’m not saying I support it yet, it’s just worth more discussion."

While Wednesday's meeting attracted opposed residents, it also drew Edwards Communities Chairman Peter Edwards, who said his student housing company had been trying to build in Kent for the past seven years.

“We will do a good project. We will do what we say," Edwards said. "We’ve built a number of these kinds of things. Our reputation is that we produce what we say we will produce. I believe quite honestly it will be the nicest student housing of any place that you have in the city.”

Still, some residents feel even Edwards' proposed 596-bed complex will be too large to not have a detrimental effect on the neighborhood.

Wayne Kvam, who has lived at his South Lincoln Street home for 21 years, is concerned the unimproved sections of the street without curbs or sidewalks can't safely handle the added car and foot traffic the apartment complex would bring.

The city has signed off on studies showing the neighboring streets and existing sewer infrastructure can handle the added load that the project would create. The traffic study commissioned by Edwards Communities shows the majority of traffic will head north from the project toward Summit Street and away from his house.

“Which puzzles me," he said. "Does that mean 400 cars go north and 200 go south?”