The following was sent to City Clerk Margaret Wimberly for inclusion in the City Council meeting on July 11, 2017:
Dear Margaret,
My name is Justen Peek and I am a resident in the Deer Ridge development. I am writing this letter on behalf of myself and my wife Whitney Peek. I would like this letter to be posted for the public comments section of the next City Council meeting.
My wife and I have long dreamed of living in the Deer Ridge/Shadow Lakes neighborhoods and in May of this year, that dream came true! As I write this letter we are still painting walls and putting the final touches on making our new house, our home. We have visited friends and family in the Deer Ridge and Shadow Lakes areas for years and always absolutely loved how quiet and natural the neighborhoods feel. The open spaces, untouched rolling hills and pleasant sounds of wildlife create a very special environment that is unique in Brentwood. These are the reasons we chose to move to Deer Ridge and now, having lived in Deer Ridge for a few months, I can proudly say that all our hopes and expectations have been exceeded.
Shortly after moving in, the honeymoon ended…we received the mailer pamphlet from the golf course owners spelling out their intentions. High density, 3-story mega structures in the middle of one of the nicest neighborhoods in Brentwood currently zoned “R-VLD – Residential-Very Low Density”. The negative impact this would have on these communities would be staggering. This isn’t to say that I am against senior housing or a more reasonable plan to work with the communities, but it should be done smartly. This type of zoning should be located near other high-density areas, public transit and access to healthcare. I understand that this is a growing need throughout the country and I believe that is why the City Council and Planning Commission have smartly already zoned specific areas for this use. Several of these areas exist already and are very near the newly proposed areas in question. There are large undeveloped lots currently zoned “R-VHD-Residential-Very High Density”: Planned Developments PD-21 and PD-49. These lots are exceptional spaces for senior and/or assisted living. There is no apparent need or shortage of this type of zoning and therefore no logical reason to change the rules when it would affect so many people that chose these neighborhoods for the very low-density zoning.
I have included a few images depicting the current zoning maps in the relevant areas:
The reason given by the golf course owners to justify the zoning change is that it would wipe out a $10M debt they have accumulated. They are essentially asking thousands of people to be negatively impacted for the benefit of a few individuals whose business ventures have not panned out. This does not make any sense. I emphatically ask that the Mayor, and City Council, please stop the rezoning of these beautiful communities.
Sincerely,
Justen & Whitney Peek