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On Tuesday, after hearing from residents two weeks earlier, the LaGrange City Council denied a contentious request to rezone property next to Bryant Lake Blvd.

The council unanimously denied a request from Keystone Custom Homes to rezone approximately 39 acres adjacent to Bryant Lake Boulevard to remove zoning conditions that were applied to the property dating back to February 2019.

City Planner Mark Kostial explained during the morning work session that the developer, Keith Newberry of Keystone Custom Homes, is seeking relief from the 2019 conditions and simply wants to build on a level playing field under the restrictions of the current Unified Development Ordinance (UDO).

“Currently, Keystone custom homes would only be permitted to build multifamily development and townhomes on this particular parcel and nothing else and quite frankly, they would have to be built in the [previously planned] configuration,” Kostial said.

The developer is currently allowed to build up to 250 apartment units. If allowed to build to the UDO, potentially an additional 250 units could be built.

Several residents spoke out against the rezoning request during a public hearing on March 12 saying the change would negatively affect the nearby Bryant Lake community, increase traffic and overcrowd nearby schools.

Ultimately, the council unanimously voted to deny the Bryant Lake rezoning request.