COLDWATER, MI (WTVB) – An ordinance to rezone over nine acres of land for a housing development at 95 South Fremont was introduced and its first reading was held during Monday night’s Coldwater City Council meeting.
The council unanimously agreed to hold a public hearing on the controversial rezoning request from A-1 One Family Residential to A-3 Multi Family Residential on March 27th.
The council chambers were packed for Monday’s meeting with most of the audience members there to express their opinions about the proposed rezoning of the land which used to be the site of the Franklin Educational Facility.
The NRP Group out of Ohio wants to buy the property from Coldwater Community Schools for $425,000 in order to build a proposed apartment complex which has led to numerous concerns such as increased traffic being expressed by angry Fourth Ward residents.
They spoke out Monday night even though Mayor Tom Kramer announced at the outset of the meeting that the only actions to take place would be the introduction and first reading of the ordinance.
The Coldwater Planning Commission voted 5-4 last Monday to give a negative recommendation to the City Council on the rezoning request.
In other action, a PA 425 conditional jurisdictional transfer request for a 10 acre parcel of land from Coldwater Township to the City was narrowly approved on a 5-4 vote. FR Decatur, the owner of the property, intends to expand their adjacent Tall Grass manufactured housing development to the property.
