Mason City council approves first reading of zoning change for Legacy at the 19 apartment project
MASON CITY — The City Council in Mason City this week approved the first of three readings of a zoning change for a proposed three-story housing development near the Legacy Golf Course at the Nineteen.
The area proposed for rezoning from “Z2 Sub-Urban” to “Z3 General Urban District” is about 17 acres generally located in the area of 19th Southwest between South Harding and Augusta Drive would include a 53-unit, three-story living facility that compliments the improvements made to the golf club property, and also include a pickleball court and parking lot.
The city received a petition of 40% of the surrounding property owners within 200 feet of the area objecting to the rezoning, meaning the council has to approve all three readings of the rezoning by a super majority vote of at least 5-1.
Councilman Joshua Masson says projects like these are what people moving to the community are looking for. “If you have pets for example and you aren’t of a certain elderly status or low income, there really aren’t any high-end apartments that you can move into here in town. I really think this fills a need, and I’ve seen this. This kind of place is very popular all over the country. This is what a lot of people are looking for.”
Tim Latham was the only councilman to vote against the rezoning proposal. He says he’s not against the project, but he wanted to table the proposal and have a traffic study done to address some of the concerns raised by those in the neighborhood about potential congestion in the area. “I think we have a traffic problem out there now. Do I think the other 70-some cars is going to cause it any more than it is? I think we can work around that. We need to know that. We need to know what it’s going to cost to make the changes, a rough idea. I just think that we need to know some more of those answers before we move forward.”
The second reading of the zoning change would be scheduled for the council’s June 3rd meeting, with the third and final reading scheduled for their June 17th meeting.
