Cleveland City Councilman Richard BanksCLEVELAND, Tenn. — A rezoning hearing on property in a North Cleveland neighborhood drew more than 20 residents in opposition and divided the Cleveland City Council on Monday.
After the hearing, the council voted 4-2 in favor of changing property located at 250 Ramsey St. from single-family residential to multifamily residential, enabling D&S Custom Homes to build a 14-unit upscale townhome development on the site.
Vice Mayor Avery Johnson and Councilmen Richard Banks, Bill Estes and Dale Hughes approved the measure. Councilmen David May and George Poe opposed it, and Councilman Charlie McKenzie passed on the vote.
Nearby property owners expressed concerns that the townhomes quickly would add another transient population of renters to their community, which is nestled in a corner between Ocoee Street and Stuart Road.
“I hate to use this word, but I feel like our neighborhood has literally been raped over years and years,” resident Jeanne Goins said before the vote. “Every time there is a vacant lot or a house gets torn down, everybody wants to come in and build apartments.”