Hotel rezoning decision postponed

A decision on whether land along Stones Crossing Road will be rezoned to allow for the development of a hotel has been put off until April.

The owner of the Barn at Bay Horse Inn, who is seeking to develop a hotel on 6.5 acres south of the event center, requested additional time to gather more information, including renderings of the project.

03_10_18_FDJ_A_005.inddThe Greenwood City Council voted 5-4 in favor of postponing the rezoning decision until its April 16 meeting.

About 75 residents attended the council meeting to oppose the project, with seven addressing the council with their concerns.

The property, owned by Amanda Cottingham, is about a half-mile east of State Road 135, and residents along Stones Crossing Road and the nearby Cobblestone neighborhood have raised concerns about commercial development encroaching on what they believe should remain a residential area.

When Jennifer Loo purchased a home in the Cobblestone neighborhood three years ago, she said she researched the area thoroughly, including looking at the city’s plans for the surrounding area, which was projected to be other residential development.

Residents make decisions about where to live based on the city’s plans, which means those plans should be followed, Loo said.

Other residents raised concerns about how this rezoning could lead to an increase in commercial projects.

“Once we do this, there is no return,” Cobblestone resident Laura Young said.

Residents are worried that the hotel, if approved, would lead to more commercial development going east along Stones Crossing Road from State Road 135, which is ones of the city’s main commercial corridors. Other concerns ranged from the increase in traffic to whether the hotel would lead to more noise and light for nearby homeowners.

Cottingham has requested the city council rezone the property from residential to commercial, which would allow for a hotel to be built. Last week, the Greenwood Plan Commission voted unanimously against recommending the rezoning because the city’s comprehensive plan calls for the area to be residential.

Next month, Cottingham plans to return to the city council with more in-depth information and details about the project, she said in a news release.