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The David and Goliath saga of homeowner Larry Chason versus High Point University came to a close Tuesday night. Unlike the biblical tale, however, Goliath walked away the victor.

The High Point City Council voted 8-1 in favor of a rezoning request by the school that will, among other things, allow it to expand a planned parking lot into a residential neighborhood. The lot will support the newest 560-person dormitory and back up to Guyer Street. It will not have access to the street.

The expanded lot was added to the building plans because the city required a retention pond in the original parking area. The school purchased several houses on Guyer Street to build the expanded lot and reached out to homeowners whose property they did not need, including Chason.

Chason and his wife moved to their house nearly 40 years ago. The couple recently retired and had no plans to move. The council’s support for the project wasn’t surprising to Chason.

“We were disappointed, but it really didn’t surprise me,” Chason said. “You don’t stand a chance. The developers, the power, the money — you just get run over.”

The school offered Chason $145,000 for his home last month, $33,800 over the tax value, according to Guilford County records. Chason declined. He said he doesn’t think it will cover the cost of moving, nor make up for the heartache of leaving the family home.

“Some people might say, 'Well, that was a good price,’ but we don’t think so,” he said.

Chris Dudley, a spokesman for HPU, said the offer still stands.

“Our position is, we never need his home. It’s not part of the plan. But to be a good neighbor we made an offer,” he said.

Dudley said the school is pleased the council overwhelmingly approved the rezoning request. It shows a consensus of support for HPU’s efforts, he said.

Councilwoman Bernita Sims was the lone dissenting vote. The school, its dorm and its parking lot are in Sims’ Ward 1. She voted against the dorm when the plans were first presented.

Sims said the school lobbied hard for the approval, and although she supports its growth and the positive impact it is having on the city, she cannot support its intrusion into neighborhoods.

“I think that at the end of the day, a lot of my fellow councilmen gave in to them,” Sims said.

Councilman John Faircloth supported the rezoning.

“Any time you have progress or development, there are very often people whose lives are going to be affected, and they’re going to be uncomfortable with that,” he said.

Chason said he and his wife will talk over the next few weeks about what they want to do. He said they might contact HPU or decide to just live with the parking lot.

Contact J. Brian Ewing at 373-7351 or brian.ewing@news-record.com