Barrier Homes Inc. has requested an area southeast of Village Green along Highway 52 be rezoned to permit construction of townhomes or senior living units.

Moorhead City Council

Nancy Edmonds Hanson

Proposed development of a triangular tract of land in southeast Moorhead drew its first objection at Monday’s meeting of the Moorhead City Council … though its approval of the first reading of a request to rezone it represents only the first step in a still-undefined project.
The council voted unanimously to approve changing the zoning of the parcel between 35th Avenue South and Highway 52, southeast of the homes surrounding the Village Green Golf Course. The Planning Commission requested the council change it from TZ Transitional – a placeholder for properties awaiting development – to MU-2, neighborhood mixed use.
The request was brought to the Planning Commission last week by Barrier Homes Inc., a Moorhead-based residential developer currently building townhomes in Dilworth. Construction of 10 four-unit townhomes was initially being considered for the site, according to city planning director Robin Huston, but the developer is also considering senior housing. A site plan has not been completed at this point.
She pointed out that last year’s MetroCOG study of the need for housing over the next 10 years estimates the metro area will need 16,500 new residential units – 3,700 of them in Moorhead.
While the MU-2 zoning permits low-traffic commercial enterprises, Huston said Barrier Homes plans only residential construction in the area.
The zoning change drew objections from eight residents when presented to the Planning Commission, she said, including several homeowners whose property backs up to the proposed development site. One of them, Dan Jacobson, spoke to the council in opposition. He cited concerns about the potential population density and increased crime and traffic.
Huston noted that 40 townhome units would fit within the density requirements of MU-2 zoning. “We have no data that would suggest increased crime,” she said, “and the amount of traffic generated would not be enough to trigger the requirement for a traffic study.”
The second reading and final passage of the ordinance are on the agenda for the next council meeting on Aug. 26.