Zoning denies Parkway ‘apartments’
RIDGELAND — Plans for a mixed-use development with almost 300 residential units in a live, work, dine and play atmosphere proposed on the Highland Colony Parkway were denied by the Zoning Board and will go before aldermen for final consiseration in May.
The Zoning Board denied a conditional use permit allowing what is called in the zoning ordinance “Residential Dwelling Units” that officials admit are apartments.
Aldermen will review the petition and application for the conditional use permit for the developer, Mattiace Properties, Inc, at their May 2 work session and May 3 regularly scheduled meeting, Public Works Director Alan Hart said.
Mattiace is the developer of the upscale Renaissance at Colony Park.
The Zoning Board denied the petition after a lengthy public hearing on April 21 at City Hall with a standing-room-only crowd. Many in attendance voiced their opposition to the inclusion of the nearly 300 “residential dwelling units” in the development.
Opposition to that element included a number of issues including the potential impact on property values, increased use on roadways, crime and the potential strain on Ridgeland’s public schools.
Many objected to the definition “Residential Dwelling Units.”
Harry Noble, who moved to Ridgeland seven years ago from the Delta, complimented Mattiace’s lawyers on the term and said it was a nice piece of “spin” to try to disguise what he considered apartments.
Several in opposition said they would not be opposed to the development if the residential unit were classified as condos implying that the units would be owner-occupied.
Ward 5 Zoning Board member Judy Rice summed up the collective frustration, saying, “It's like they say, ‘You can put lipstick on a pig but it is still a pig.’”
Sheldon Alston, an attorney for the developers, said they used the term in the city’s zoning ordinance and that he is happy to call the units “apartments.”
Developer Andrew Mattiace said that the units are “high-end and very expensive” and will rent for an expected $1,687 a month for a 750-square-foot space.
He said the proposed 280 units are roughly 40 percent one-bedroom apartments and 60 percent two-bedroom.
Before the hearing, Alderman-at-Large D.I. Smith said the units are similar to what currently exists at the Township.
“I would not call them apartments,” Smith said.”In fact, the word apartment is not used in the petition. It will be a conditional use for a residential portion of the development like we have at the Township.”
Based on their analysis, Mattiace said they believe there is a lack of this product currently on the market in Ridgeland.
He said the development as a whole represented a $70 million investment.
The current petition on the table describes the development as “consistent with the growing national trend of live, work, dine and play projects with walkable features.”
The development north of Highland Colony Baptist Church near Lake Castle Road will feature offices, retail spaces and restaurants and possibly a grocery store, officials have said.
The petition is for Phase I of the development and any future phases will have to repeat the process currently underway.