Fwd: A couple of important updates from Neshoba North Neighborhood Association
j bell
Begin forwarded message:
From: Twyla Dixon <twyla...@aol.com>
Date: January 28, 2023 at 10:45:21 AM CST
To: bkyl...@hotmail.com, emily.mc...@gmail.com, ring...@gmail.com, Noah Wolfe <bgnw...@yahoo.com>
Cc: Kristy Stewart <stew...@gmail.com>, Jennifer Baker <jldb...@gmail.com>, Kseniya Korshunova <kors...@yahoo.com>, Sarah Wilkerson-Freeman <ocrac...@gmail.com>, Doris Brewer <doris....@gmail.com>, Twyla Dixon <twyla...@aol.com>, Susan Cave <barkl...@bellsouth.net>, alinda...@gmail.com, Lynda Akil <lyndi...@outlook.com>, Joan Chambers <joan...@att.net>, Willadean Thrasher <willa...@yahoo.com>, Jim Jacobs <j.jac...@gmail.com>
Subject: A couple of important updates from Neshoba North Neighborhood Association
To the Germantown Heights HOA folks, I got your contact information from Erinn Figg at City Hall. Noah Wolfe is president of the Poplar Estates HOA.Dear Neighborrs:Our NNNA Government Liaison, Sarah Freeman, has been faithful in tracking the "Cordova Triangle" (Owens tract) situation through the years. We wanted to make you aware that the case of the "R" zoning is coming before the court again on Monday. We plan to have some representatives present in the courtroom on Monday at 10:00, Chancery Court, 140 Monroe. The following letter is a summary of previous actions on this case which we hope will be entered as an exhibit. Our neighborhoods have provided a strong, unified voice in protecting this property from dense commercial development which would negatively impact the integrity of our neighborhoods.January 25, 2023
To Mayor Palazzolo, the Alderman, Attorneys McKenny and Wyatt, and Staff (Cameron Ross):Re: Jack Owens Revocable Trust vs. City of GermantownSince 2007, the Neshoba North Neighborhood Association (NNNA) has expressed its serious concerns regarding the possibility of dense urban development on the property often referred to as the Triangle. This approximately 19 acres of land lies between Germantown Pkwy (on the east), Neshoba Rd. (on the north) and Cordova Rd. (on the west) and is directly across the street from the Germantown Heights neighborhood (to the west) and the Neshoba North Neighborhood (to the north). These are the city’s oldest subdivisions, more than two generations old. The mature trees, older architecture, good sized setbacks and space between homes give these neighborhoods a special and secure character.
Most significantly, these neighborhoods grew up around Riverdale Elementary School and Riverdale Park and have attracted young families with children for decades. This is especially true today as young families are moving in in greater numbers with the expansion of Riverdale School and its change in status as part of the new Germantown Public Schools system. As well, many older residents have remained in the neighborhoods after their children have grown. Three generations of families living close to each other are not uncommon as older children return to the neighborhoods to raise their children near the grandparents. Homes once owned by older people are quickly bought by young families and the cycle begins again. We watch the parade of children, walking and riding bikes, as they go to and from Riverdale School. This year, a new subdivision of single-family homes, Neshoba Farms, is being built near the school, indicating that the safety of this environment, for children, families, and older people, is of great value.
The 2007 rezoning of the Triangle, which allowed dense commercial “T4” development on land that had previously been zoned for single-family residential development only, caused great anxiety among many who lived near the Triangle as the mixed-use “T4” types of development could rise as high as four stories. Such dense commercial development would necessarily increase traffic in the neighborhoods and put our residents, most especially the children, at risk. In 2018, with extreme relief and gratitude overwhelmingly expressed by local residents, our city leaders recognized that the "T4" urban zoning on the Triangle was a mistake for a variety of reasons and returned the property to its original single-family “R” residential zoning.
For these reasons, our interest in the case of Jack Owens Revocable Trust vs. City of Germantown, et al, involving the zoning status of a 13 acre parcel of the Triangle that abuts the aforementioned residential neighborhoods, is acute. We contend that the welfare and safety of the people who actually live in the neighborhoods need to be a primary consideration in these deliberations. Therefore, we add our voices to support the City of Germantown’s defense of its responsibility and authority to protect its residents through wise and lawful zoning decisions. In this spirit, we respectfully request that this letter be considered and added as an exhibit for the defense and made part of the record of the court.
Thank you for your consideration.
The Executive Committee of Neshoba North Neighborhood AssociationTwyla Dixon, PresidentJennifer Baker, Doris Brewer, Susan Cave, Joan Chambers, Alinda Fahrenkopf, Jim Jacobs, Kseniya Korshunova, Kristy Stewart, Willadean Thrasher, Sarah Wilkerson-FreemanOn another matter which concerns all of us these days: NNNA will host a meeting on Thursday evening, Feb. 16 at 7:00 p.m. at RiverOaks Reformed Presbyterian Church Fellowship Hall (Neshoba/Germantown Rd.) regarding Crime and Safety. We have invited a very qualified person to address this subject. Officer Eugene Jones is a Preparedness Officer with Tennessee Homeland Security. He will discuss recent events, talk about what to do in the case of being in the presence of an active shooter, preparing your children for safety measures, etc. We urge everyone to take advantage of this opportunity to learn from an expert in this field which is so relevant at this time.Twyla Dixon, NNNA president