Lakewood Neighborhood - What do you think about the proposed zone change for Osprey Townhomes?

I’m not opposed to more housing going in but there needs to be better planning on parking, vehicular access, and green space.

Only two ways in and out for 210 units (on average each unit is expected to have a minimum of two vehicles) is woefully inadequate and will create congestion not only for the new housing but also for the rest of the Lakewood neighborhood. Also, having one of the access points go through a neighborhood street will decrease the neighborly atmosphere and drive people out. The houses on that road will begin to mimic other houses on busy streets and the overall visual quality of the neighborhood will decrease (I cite center street south of 500 W and 500 W as visuals for this).

Not enough parking units will recreate the disaster that is the Startup apartments on freedom blvd. Cars line the streets over there because there’s nowhere else to park, it’s not only an eye sore, it’s unsafe for pedestrians, bikers, and drivers.

Green spaces help our environment and create appeal and a positive living atmosphere that encourage residents to take care of where they live—that is an overall boon for the city.

I definitely prefer the zone change to be changed to more single family residential homes as opposed to low-density town homes. I have concerns about adding too many homes/traffic for the space available, and causing bigger problems with traffic safety, safety for families/kids riding bikes walking, and taking away from the more peaceful family neighborhood feeling.

If it is changed and town homes go in, I agree with a lot of the other comments that the best access to the townhomes (for the osprey point neighborhood already here and those of a future town home neighborhood) that access to it would be best off of Lakeview Parkway, NOT through the neighborhood. There are lots of families and kids in the neighborhood and adding that amount of traffic on the roads would really take away from the safe, family friendly neighborhood that is in place.

I support low density housing in this area, although I would like to see the number of units reduced by 20-22 (or more). 210 is too many for this spot. I would like to see a larger green space in the center section (where the walkway is)--with the Bryn/Devon units reduced by 12 to accomodate it, and a second, larger, green space in the upper right corner (cutting out all 8 units there). I think 2 -5 more units in the lower right should be cut to make room for a second access road on 500 W. I don't live in the neighborhood but very much sympathize with neighborhood residents who have expressed their concern about the increased traffic and safety concerns in adjoining neighborhoods that would come with an access point on 730 W. I would suggest that there be instead two access points on 500 W. It seems too dangerous to have an access point on the curved portion of Lakeside. Moreover, having spent a semester recently in Virginia, where we lived in a townhome development, I really really liked that our development had access points only on one street. It made for a much much safer neighborhood and it directed all traffic to a street that could easily absorb it.

I am very concerned that there is insufficient vehicle access for the proposed population of the development. The entrance on 500 West is on a sloping curve with limited visibility. 300 cars trying to exit the property each morning through that one bottleneck will be a nightmare. The residents' other option will be to exit via 730 West. That will send them into a quiet residential neighborhood where small children play in open front yards. 730 is NOT designed to support morning and afternoon rush hour traffic. There will need to be stop signs, perhaps speed reduction pads, etc. The only reasonable alternative is to find a way to let people enter and exit via Lakeview Parkway somehow. That gets people into the traffic flow without turning a residential neighborhood into an on-ramp.

Given the access limitations, I believe the zoning should be single family residential, similar to the adjacent Osprey Point subdivision to the north. The developer should still be able to realize a tidy profit and the development would impose less of a burden on infrastructure. Access is not the only problem in that area. Sewer, schools and other infrastructure elements are at or above capacity.

I am not in favor of this high density townhomes project. I live in Osprey Point and the layout seems like the builder is trying to stack as many people into this area as possible. Why can't this be a continuation of the Osprey Point single family homes or at least reduce the density of this subdivision to duplexes? I would prefer this property stay agricultural land. I think this proposed design will greatly lower the property values in Osprey Point and make it a less desirable location...especially with the significant addition of traffic through our peaceful neighborhood. We have already seen increased traffic on 1560 S and 500 W. It seems like there would be a way to safely create a right-turn only exit to the south or southwest portion of this subdivision onto Lakeview Parkway. The proposed plan does not have enough visitor parking or green space. If one looks at the big picture with all of the other surrounding housing, this kind of housing seems out of place. I think the builder will be much more successful putting in custom homes on 1/4 acre lots that are $500K+. Also, isn't this land in a floodplain? How will that issue be addressed with townhomes? What are the proposed values of these townhomes? I would like to see a lot more research and discussion regarding this decision.

I don't necessarily disagree with the townhomes being built, however I do disagree with changing the existing roads to accommodate them. I currently live on 730 W, and there is talk of opening up 730 W to the parkway, which I WILL fight. I moved to 730 W from 500 W, which was a terrible road to live on after they extended it out to Lakeview Parkway. I refuse to once again see the road I've bought a home on turned into a major throughway.

Osprey point has a lot of kids and the increase in traffic would make it far less safe, the proposed exits are on bends which is also unsafe. I support town homes in that space - but 210? the plan shows hardly any parking, and assuming a bunch of them will be rentals there will be 2-4 cars per unit. The park also looks as if it's small to make room for more housing.