news-record.com

GREENSBORO - Tuesday night, City Council reversed its decision to deny an apartment complex development on Meadow Oak Drive.

In May, area residents successfully persuaded council to deny the proposal, which would add up to 120 apartments to the Meadow Oaks subdivision east of Rehobeth Church Road.

Residents who bought single-family homes from the same developer, Keystone Group Inc., argued that apartments might add traffic, noise and crime to the area.

Tuesday night, Keystone Group President Scott Wallace was back before council asking for reconsideration.

He said the company would build additional buffers between the apartments and the single family homes, including a privacy fence and a row of 50 evergreen trees. The developer will build the apartments as far away from the single family homes as allowable for the property size, he said.

Neighbors raised concerns again Tuesday night. They worried that the apartment building could decrease their home values, a point Wallace tried to refute.

"In my heart, I believe our project will not take away from the value of these homes," Wallace said.

Councilwoman T. Dianne Bellamy-Small made a motion to deny Keystone's rezoning request again, arguing that the development would be detrimental to the neighborhood. No other council member seconded her motion.

Council voted 6 to 2 to allow the apartments to be built.

Bellamy-Small and Councilwoman Goldie Wells voted no. Mayor Yvonne Johnson was out of town listening in via telephone, but was excused from the vote because she could not review any information submitted by the developer at the meeting.

"The neighborhood has a substantially better deal then when they first came before this board," Councilman Robbie Perkins said.

Contact Amanda Lehmert at 373-7075 or amanda.lehmert@news-record.com.