The developers asked for R1 zoning, which is low density, single-family housing, and a majority of the acres to be designated the Integrated Business District zoning, which allows a mix of commercial and low- to high-density residential units.
"We are requesting IBD not because of the density, but because it allows single-family housing and allows a mix of commercial and residential," Seneschal said.
Many commission members said they could not support the plan because it would allow higher density housing and strain city resources. Several members referred to a referendum regarding the Wetlands annexation project two years ago.
When the Wetlands project was unanimously approved by the City Council in 2006, residents who opposed the plan built a community coalition, called Aberdeen Communities Together (ACT) to quash the effort. Many had opposed the annexation, saying it would burden city resources, such as its water supply and infrastructure.
The community members launched a door-to-door effort to overturn the City Council's approval of the plan. In a voter referendum, residents voted by a 2-to-1 margin to reject the Wetlands annexation.
The Wetlands had spawned a major political issue, and subsequently in the November 2007 election, two Aberdeen officials who supported the annexation were voted out of office.
"This community is not ready for annexation," said Richard Craig, a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission. "We just are not ready. The populace of Aberdeen has shown that."
The commission voted to recommend the annexation as a less dense, R1 zoning.
"Planning and Zoning is getting the message from the citizens," said Chuck Doty, founding member of Aberdeen Communities Together, which has been skeptical about the Glengarry project.
Doty said that had the developers left the original Wetlands project at R1 zoning, "that thing would've snuck through."
The annexation petition requires City Council approval.
"The petition remains its original integrity," said Curtis Coon, an attorney for the development team. "The recommendations are certainly given weight and considered. The commission's recommendation does not have the impact of amending the petition."
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