The Poplar Bluff City Council refused a Katy Lane rezoning request Monday night in a split vote, while unanimously supporting an effort to purchase new safety equipment for the fire department.
The council voted 4-3 against changing the zoning from residential to office professional for a portion of a vacant lot that touches Katy Lane.
It was among several action items taken up by the council, including acceptance of a $142,000 grant to purchase life saving equipment for the fire department.
Katy Lane
Council members Robert Smith, Steve Davis, Barbara Horton and Philip Crocker opposed a request by the Barbour family to rezone the Katy Lane section of property from residential.
The remainder of the lot, where it faced Barron Road, would have remained residential.
A number of homeowners from the area attended the meeting and have previously spoken out against the request, saying it would allow commercial businesses to encroach on a quiet neighborhood.
Mayor Ed DeGaris, of Ward 2, was in support of the rezoning, although he initially voted against the request when it was in the planning and zoning committee.
The Barbours offered a good compromise, according to DeGaris, who feels the Katy Lane portion of the property already falls between several other commercial properties.
"We've got the flower shop past that. We've got two nursing homes and Northwest Medical," DeGaris said. "You're kind of drawing the line back behind where it already is past."
Residents have previously told the council they were afraid other property owners on Barron Road would seek rezoning if this matter passed.
There does have to be a stopping point, said Robert Smith, of Ward 5.
"I've talked to a lot of people, a lot of property owners who were really concerned," said Smith.
While he doesn't want to stop commercial growth, residential neighborhoods also have to be protected, according to Smith.
A motion to delay the vote failed prior to the decision. Philip Crocker of Ward 4 received a second from at large council member Steve Davis, after expressing concern that the wording of the ordinance was not correct.
It was not an attempt to stop the vote, said Davis, just an effort to clear up possibly ambiguous wording in the ordinance related to the vegetation line. Davis, Crocker and Horton supported the delay.
The matter had waited long enough, Mayor pro tem Susan McVey said during the discussion. It was first brought before the council in June.
While some issues regarding the clarity and interpretation of printed maps had occurred, the written descriptions of the property had not changed, she said.
Fire department
The city will contribute approximately $7,000 to the purchase of 24 self-contained breathing units for the fire department. The remaining 95 percent of the cost will be covered under a Federal Emergency Management Agency grant.
The fire department is in the process of interviewing companies which make the equipment.
The current units have a 15-year life before departments are required to replace them, which would occur in 2018 and 2019 for the city fire department.
The city is trying to fulfill many needs on a tight budget, McVey said today.
Grant funding is a blessing, offering extra money to pay for equipment that is much needed for the safety of firefighters, she said.
Other action:
* Approved a contract with Ozark Foothills Regional Planning Commission to perform administrative services related to the fire department grant.
*Approved a permit for drive-thru lanes at a proposed bank at 2910 Barron Road.
* Amended city ordinances to clarify wording related to residency requirements for city employees.