Builder wants to form $20million development

Redwood apartments would go in Clayton, pending rezoning.

New one-story apartments could be coming to the city of Clayton pending a rezoning request for property that is now farmland.

RedwoodApartment Neighborhoods filed a request last month to rezone a parcel of land at the intersection of West National andHaber roads in Clayton from an R-1 single family dwelling to a PD-3, Planned Unit Development, which permits residential and commercial use.

Area residents have said they have concerns about the apartments that include significant increases in traffic, storm water run-off and utilities. Clayton Development Director JohnKuntz said those will be addressed further along the processwith engineer-conducted traffic studies.

The request was tabled at the city’s December planning commission meeting to ensure traffic studies could be legally conducted prior to the application going to city council as some residents believed it was putting the cart before the horse. City staff has said the developmentwould be good for the area.

“We believe the partnership between Clayton and Redwood will be a positive relationship for a long time for all of our residents due to Redwood’s long standing practice of continuing to be the owner and operator of all of their residential communities long after they break ground and invest in the communities where they build,” said Kuntz.

The apartments aremeant to appeal to young professionals, empty nesters and retirees, said Redwood Apartment Neighborhoods Acquisition Vice President Greg Thurman. The company is looking to build 147 two-bedroom, two-bathroom units with attached garages on about 27 acres of the 33-acre parcel.

Ten of the acres delegated for apartments will be used for open space and five acres will be used for commercial development. Rent for these apartments would range between $1,500 and $1,800 a month.

“This project is approximately a $15 million to $20 million development project. The project

would include the residential and commercial construction cost as well as all infrastructure needed as part of the project,” Kuntz said.

The land was outlined as a flex-use space in 1999 in the city’s land use plan, PLAN Clayton.

“In the land use plan, whichwas just updated and approved a couple of years ago, it calls for a development and neighborhood called the ‘Clayton Commercial Center,’ which would include mixed uses including residential and commercial as well as parks and opengreen spaces. ThePlanning Commission is considering the rezoning case and factors including whether the application is consistent with what is found in the land use plan,” Kutz said.

The next Clayton planning commission meeting is Monday, Jan. 25.