Neighbors, city at odds over proposed affordable housing project in NE Rochester

A decision on re-zoning a plot of land in northeast Rochester to allow for an affordable housing project will have to wait two more weeks, after the Rochester City Council tabled the motion Monday evening following a lengthy discussion.

The rezoning request, put forward by Joseph Development, would be among the first step toward building a 66-unit affordable housing complex on 2.5 acres of land just west of Century High School. If approved, the project would include 33 units at 60 percent annual median income (AMI) and another 33 units at 50 percent AMI.

The project has received letters of support from affordable housing advocates, such as the Coalition for Rochester Affordable Housing, but has run into considerable pushback from residents who live in townhomes adjacent to the proposed development. They contend the building would increase traffic and noise in the area — something many specifically wanted to avoid when moving to the neighborhood.

“There are many retired people who purchased these townhomes with the intent of a quiet, pleasant neighborhood that they could be content to spend the rest of their lives in,” said Pat Martin, who lives directly behind the lot in question. “I guess, the question I feel compelled to ask the council is… how would you feel if I was your mother?” 

Where should affordable housing go?

While no action was taken Monday regarding zoning, discussion on the project opened up a broader conversation among council members and city staff on where affordable and tax-credited housing in the city should go. 

Ryan Yetzer, the city’s interim deputy director of development and construction services, noted that “housing diversity” is a listed priority in the city’s comprehensive plan, in order to space out affordable housing projects citywide. With no other housing complexes listed as “affordable housing” in a two-mile radius, the current project location would satisfy the goal — while staying eligible for state tax credits.

“The city’s policy on affordable housing includes, very clearly, disbursing affordable housing throughout the city, so you don’t result in a situation where it’s all designated for one area,” said Yetzer. “A large reason why this project was afforded tax credits is because there’s a lack of affordable housing in this area.”

Dueling interpretations of the city’s comprehensive plan lie at the center of the debate; some opponents of the project say the site was correctly zoned for commercial use and, therefore, should not be changed.

Council Member Shaun Palmer, who represents the area where the project would go, said he has lived in that neighborhood in the past, and did not support any changes to the current zoning plan — citing the comprehensive plan as evidence.

“This area, presently zoned, is consistent with the comprehensive plan as it is now,” said Palmer. “This entire neighborhood was thought out: we’re putting townhomes here, we’re putting businesses here, we’re putting single-family homes here.”

Yetzer, however, also cited the comprehensive plan as evidence for his argument — underscoring how language in such a dense document can be interpreted in multiple ways.

“The comprehensive plan is a very large document,” said Yetzer. “If you want to comb through the document with a fine comb and find points that support any argument, you would likely be able to do so.”

Council discussion on this topic will resume at their April 19 meeting.

Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.

Cover: Map of the proposed development site / via council agenda packet