Council OKs zoning change for housing complex in Folwell neighborhood
The Rochester City Council narrowly gave approval for a zoning change in the Folwell neighborhood Monday evening, clearing the way for a multi-unit housing project that garnered attention from neighbors.
In a 4-3 vote, the council approved a zoning change request from Ben Kall, moving a parcel of land from R-1 (mixed single family) to R-2x, a blended residential zoning classification created in 2019 to encourage redevelopment of vacant parcels of land near the downtown core. Kall says he plans to build a 12-unit “rowhouse” complex on the 0.44-acre parcel, covering two adjacent lots on the corner of 14th Avenue and 6th Street SW.
The project, known as “Legacy Rowhomes,” is believed to be the first project to receive an R-2x zoning designation outside of the pre-set boundaries put forward by the city in 2019.
Before the split vote, the council received split recommendations on the proposal — city staff originally recommended approval, but the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission (of which Kall is a member) voted 4-2 to recommend denial. Neighbors of the property also raised concerns about “eroding” the neighborhood in the weeks leading up to this meeting, and several members of the public spoke on both sides of the issue during the public hearing.
Proposed development location
Council Members Nick Campion, Molly Dennis, Patrick Keane, and President Brooke Carlson voted in favor of the zoning change. Keane said the zoning change and subsequent project would help lower the financial barriers to live in the neighborhood near Folwell Elementary School — one of the most historic (and expensive) neighborhoods in the city.
“I think we’ve clearly established this is a neighborhood people want to live in,” said Keane. “I think other people are going to be able to live in [this neighborhood] because of this.”
Council Members Mark Bransford, Shaun Palmer, and Kelly Rae Kirkpatrick voted against the change, after all three voted (unsuccessfully) in favor of passing a land use plan amendment for the site. Bransford, who represents the area of the proposed development, was the most adamant in his opposition to the proposal — citing his belief a project of this size should be classified as R-3 (medium density), plus concerns that the building as proposed would not be ADA compliant.
The priorities in the comprehensive plan — which came up in another recent council zoning debate — have allowed the council to skip over the concerns of neighborhoods, he says.
“Unfortunately, the [comprehensive] plan has become a stick we beat neighborhoods with,” said Bransford. “Neighborhood’s voices are never heard, never taken into account; we’ve pooh-pooh’d them, and now we’re suggesting we have an inclusive development that doesn’t allow for those who are disabled? … I find that offensive.”
As Council President, Carlson acted as the tiebreaker for the 4-3 final vote. While she did express concern over the lack of ADA compliance, she said the project would help fill the “missing middle” of housing — filling in the gap between single-family homes and large apartment projects.
“It’s responsive to the gaps we’re seeing in our studies of housing in this community, it’s close to school, it’s close to transit, it’s close to workplaces, it’s walkable… it’s really hard for me to say I can’t support it because it’s a townhome development in R1,” said Carlson. “It just doesn’t seem different enough.”
With the zoning change approved, Kall will return to the council seeking approval of a building plan in the future.
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.
