The council voted unanimously during an Oct. 14 meeting to move forward with the proposed Fox Hollow development on first reading, but it will need to go through two more readings to be finally approved.
Council Member Ann Kitchen affirmed neighbors’ concerns about road safety, noting that Brandt Road is considered substandard.
"That is a primary concern to me," Kitchen said. "We have to find solutions and make sure we have sidewalks."
She said the council is working with the city’s public works department on the timeline and cost for a sidewalk or shared-use path that would go from the affordable housing development to Slaughter Lane. This path would give residents safer access to a bus stop.
Neighbors also worried about the location's closeness to the floodplain. Kitchen said it would be against city regulations for developers to build on the floodplain. Kitchen said developers will also have to plan the site so that it does not introduce more runoff downstream.
She also pointed to other benefits of the site, including that developers will add parkland to the area as part of the project.
