Germantown puts indefinite hold on apartment projects
With a moratorium on multi-family development set to expire in early July, the city of Germantown has placed an indefinite administrative hold on apartment projects until the board of mayor and aldermen takes action on the issue.
The current moratorium--put in place a year and a half ago to give city staff time to study the potential impacts of building more apartments--is set to expire July 8. A meeting planned for that evening has been canceled due to an expected lack of quorum, Mayor Mike Palazzolo said at the most recent board of mayor and aldermen meeting.
The administrative hold will take effect July 8 “and will be in place until the (board of mayor and aldermen) formally takes definitive action on the subject of all future apartment and apartment building development,” according to a press release sent out by the city Saturday. A 355-page study compiled by city staff was first discussed at a public meeting on May 16 and was released online a day later. No action was taken at that session and the study and moratorium have not been discussed at board of mayor and aldermen meetings since then.
Another work session will be held in mid to late July, according to the city.
“Given the planned and unplanned events since the (board of mayor and aldermen’s) initial meeting in mid-may, this timeframe will provide sufficient time for members of the (board of mayor and aldermen) to thoroughly review,” the report, according to the city.
Germantown aldermen placed a moratorium on the construction of all new apartment buildings in January 2018 after residents raised concerns that multi-family housing could put a disproportionate strain on city resources, including traffic, public safety services and public schools.
The study drafted by city staff does not definitively declare whether apartments are good or bad or placing an outsized burden on the city’s services. City staff has said the report compiled data about historical demand on city services from residents--in apartments, condos, single-family homes and nursing homes--and created a formula that can be used to predict how much new residential development of any type would increase demand on city services.
Corinne Kennedy, who covers Germantown, can be reached at Corinne.kennedy@commercialappeal .com