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The LaGrange City Council will hold two public hearings on Tuesday to hear comments from the public on a pair of rezoning requests that would allow for separate apartment developments.

The public hearing will seek comments on a Board of Planning and Zoning Appeals recommendation on a request to rezone four parcels at the corner of Addie Street and Ware Street from Traditional Neighborhood Residential (TN-R) to Traditional Neighborhood Mixed Use (TN-MX).

The parcels are approximately 1.1 acres in total and would be combined to create what the city described as a “true mixed-use development.”

During the Feb. 27 council work session, City Planner Mark Kostial explained that developer Phillip Abbott requested the property be rezoned to build approximately 21 apartments in conjunction with ground-floor commercial units within the next 24 to 36 months.

The Board of Planning and Zoning Appeals previously unanimously recommended the rezoning.

Kostial noted that the area is designated as traditional neighborhood redevelopment in the city’s comprehensive plan, which allows for multifamily residential, neighborhood commercial and mixed-use.

The other public hearing is for a rezoning request for the Bryant Lake development off of Hamilton Road.

Keystone Custom Homes requested that approximately 39 acres located adjacent to Bryant Lake Boulevard be rezoned from Corridor Medium Density Residential (CR-MR) to Corridor Medium Density Residential (CR-MR).

The purpose of rezoning the property to a zoning designation of the same name is to remove zoning conditions that were applied to the property dating back to February 2019.

The planning board unanimously recommended the change under the condition that the existing requirement for eight-foot-wide sidewalks is kept. Kostial said that without the condition only five-foot sidewalks would be required.

Kostial said the applicant, Keith Newberry of Keystone Custom Homes, has requested the change to build both townhomes and multifamily units on the property.

The conditions placed on the property in February 2019 limit the density to no more than 250 apartments and 120 villas, but Kostial said the villas aren’t in play because they were proposed for a separate part of the development.

The current zoning restrictions allow for apartments with a minimum size of 600 square feet.

If approved, the minimum apartment sizes would be regulated by the city’s Unified Development Ordinance (UDO), which allows for apartments ranging from 450 square feet for studio apartments to 1000 square feet depending on whether it’s a one-bedroom, two-bedroom or three-bedroom.

Kostial said otherwise the current requirements are virtually identical to the UDO aside from sign requirements.

In October 2022, Keystone Custom Homes applied for a rezoning of all the parcels that they held at Bryant Lake. At the time, the planning commission recommended it be similarly rezoned to remove previously set restrictions. After a contentious public hearing in December 2022, the developer withdrew the rezoning application, so the issue didn’t receive a second reading or vote.

The LaGrange City Council has called for public hearings on both rezoning requests on March 12 at 5:30 p.m.