Residents in Auburndale are expecting a big showdown at City Hall Monday night.
For the second time in two weeks, homeowners are fighting back to try to kill the rezoning of a 100 acre stretch of property that stares down at the Auburndale community surrounding Lake Tennessee.
City leaders are considering marking the land as “light industrial”. The original proposal called for a giant distribution warehouse on the property, but those plans are now on hold.
“There are probably about 600 people in this area who are really upset,” said Claude Ehlers, who lives in the neighborhood.
The residents — including Ehlers — aren’t difficult to find. Bright yellow yard signs litter the community saying “No Warehouses”.
Dennis Young is one of the ringleaders.
“Not very happy, actually,” he said to ABC Action News.
He has a binder thicker than the bible with all of his research. His biggest concerns: noise, traffic, and property values.
“We think it would diminish greatly by having it here,” he said.
Two weeks ago, the city heard the city’s concerns, and then some, in the biggest meeting in the city’s history.
Despite the majority of residents speaking out against the re-zoning, the commission voted in favor of it. There’s a second vote Monday night, and after the first meeting, Young feels more confident.
“We got their attention,” he said.
A city representative tells ABC Action News that staff members are diligently working on a plan to address their noise and traffic concerns, and believe there is a way to mitigate those issues.
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