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After second readings, the LaGrange City Council denied a request that would have allowed for townhomes to be built on Gordon Circle and approved a rezoning that would allow an auto parts store on Render Street.

The council voted to deny a request made by Luther Jones to rezone property located at 433 Gordon Circle from Suburban Single-Family Residential (SU-R) to Traditional Neighborhood Medium Density Residential (TN-MR).

City Planner Mark Kostial explained that the applicant proposed a phased townhome development project with four townhomes fronting Dilly Hill Street and four fronting Gordon Circle. 

Kostial said that although the property is the second largest on Gordon Circle, it is slightly less than an acre. Without the rezoning, no more than three single-family homes could be built on the property.

Kostial said the rezoning would also allow walk-up flats, which are essentially smaller-scale apartments, but the applicant did not express a desire to build.

Jones said the townhomes would not be rental properties and would be sold for around $450,000 each.

No one spoke at the Sept. 12 public hearing for the potential rezoning, however, some concerns were raised over the number of homes on the small property.

The council later voted 5-1 to deny the rezoning, with Councilman Leon Childs voting in favor.

The council did approve a request to rezone six parcels in the 200 block of Render Street and East Render Street from Traditional Neighborhood Residential (TN-R) to Corridor Mixed Use (CR-MX).

Kostial noted that the applicant plans to build an auto parts store on the property but noted that the zoning designation would also allow for a service station, convenience store, title pawn shop, package store or many other businesses.

“Even if this particular applicant did not choose to operate anything other than an auto parts store, future owners or occupants of the building would be able to utilize it for anything that was allowed within our corridor mixed use zoning district,” Kostial explained.

The rezoning was later approved with a 5-1 vote, with Childs again as the lone dissenting vote.

Childs said afterward that he voted against the rezoning because it would have potentially brought a package store to the area.