Burlington’s city council has given its blessing to a rezoning request that will allow local homebuilder Dennis Euliss to set up an apartment complex at the southeast corner of Kirkpatrick Road and Grand Oaks Boulevard.
During a regularly-scheduled meeting on Tuesday, the council unanimously agreed to rezone 12.67 acres at this well-traveled crossroad for high-density residential development so that Euliss can construct a 200-unit apartment complex.
Ryan Moffitt, a local attorney in the homebuilder’s employ, told the council that Euliss’ plans are particularly well suited to this part of the city, which exhibits a gradual transition from residential development to medial offices and light industrial uses.
“This request fits right in line with that progression,” Moffitt told the council. “It really does present the highest and best use for this particular parcel.”
Before the council voted on Euliss’ request, councilman Ronnie Wall asked Moffitt to address the proposed development’s impact on traffic. Wall went on to note that some of the site’s neighbors had urged him to bring this issue to the forefront.
Moffitt conceded that Euliss’ proposed development is expected to add about 80 new vehicles to the local road network at peak hours. He added, however, that this increase will be easily accommodated by Grand Oaks Boulevard, which he noted had been enlarged years ago to serve as part of an “expressway” that never materialized.
“It was built with massive capacity in mind,” the developer’s attorney went on to recall. “The short answer is that traffic is a non-issue, statistically speaking.” Meanwhile, other members of council emphasized the inherent appeal that this stretch of Grand Oaks Boulevard has for residential, commercial, and light industrial development.
“To me, this is one of the most prime areas we have for development in the city,” declared Burlington’s mayor pro tem Harold Owen.
“High-density residential is a real need,” added Burlington’s mayor Jim Butler, “and I have a feeling we’re going to see a lot more of these coming.” The council ultimately gave approval by a unanimous, 5-0 vote.
