The Mahncke Park Neighborhood Association board of directors met Tuesday night at Lions Field and voted 4-2 to oppose the zoning change requested by University of the Incarnate Word to build a parking lot on four vacant lots between Perry Court and Burr Road.
All but one board member was present, along with 16 interested neighbors. Before voting, the board considered whether an emergency meeting on Oct. 3 was valid, in which four of the board members met without the first or second chairs in attendance. The lack of clarity from the board was a factor in the decision by City Council last week to grant a UIW request for a continuance of the matter until its November session. You can read Rivard Report coverage of that meeting here, and our initial story here.
UIW officials hoped in the interim to persuade enough MPNA board members to support its position to help reverse a decision by city staff to oppose the proposed zoning exception. UIW had provided the board with a letter of commitment agreeing to a set of concessions in exchange for supporting the zoning variance. At Tuesday’s meeting, the board reviewed the document and concluded that it was materially different from an offer presented in a meeting with UIW on Sept. 11. The board then voted to oppose the zoning change.
gary s. whitford is half of Extraordinary Words, a writing company. He lives and works in the Monticello Park neighborhood, and prefers to see his name in lower case letters.
