The Bellevue City Council has agreed in principle to approve a request by landowner Steve Kropf to rezone his 2.74-acre property to allow additional density.
But first, Kropf and the city must both consent to a development agreement meant to protect the city in several ways.
The council's primary concerns about the development of Kropf's property have to do with its proximity next to the Big Wood River and an old earthen dike and the impacts a new development there would have on Broadford Road, the property's only access.
Bellevue City Council members voted last Thursday to approve the rezone pending the drafting of a development agreement by Bellevue City Attorney Jim Phillips.
Once Phillips has completed the draft development agreement, the City Council will review it at a public meeting.
"We will work on this together," Phillips advised. "City staff will be heavily involved."
Kropf's property, located at 403 Broadford Road in western Bellevue, is just east of the Big Wood River and adjacent to a dike that separates the property from the river. The Broadford Road property is currently the site of the Riverside RV Park.
Kropf's request, if approved, would have the property rezoned from the existing Transitional zoning to GR-12, a residential designation that allows 12 homes per acre.
As part of the proposed development agreement—the details of which are still to be determined—Kropf would likely be made responsible for some percentage of repairs or maintenance needed on the levee to protect the property from rising floodwaters.
The agreement may also include some requirement stipulating that Kropf help pay for much-needed repairs on Broadford Road. For now, the road is a rough stretch of pot-holed pavement.
Additional unspecified conditions may still be added to the development agreement as needed.
Steve Fairbrother, the member of the Bellevue City Council who first proposed the development agreement, said Kropf won't be able to fix all of the problems that need to be addressed in the Broadford Road area of Bellevue on his own.
"I don't expect him to fix everything," Fairbrother said.
Despite several concerns he has voiced about Kropf's proposal and the subsequent redevelopment of the property, Fairbrother said he generally supports the rezone.
"I'm in favor of this," he said. "I think it's a good idea."
Under Kropf's development proposal, his 2.74-acre property would be redeveloped as a 34-unit townhouse project.
How that density and the number of residents living there impact Broadford Road was high on the mind of Councilman Shaun Mahoney last Thursday.
"The road is horrendous," Mahoney said.
Still, with a development agreement and other precautions in place, Mahoney said he could support the rezone.
"I think it is good for the city," he said.
The Bellevue City Council last week tentatively approved the rezone of 2.74 acres located at 403 Broadford Road in Bellevue, at the Riverside RV Park, above. Before it becomes official, however, the city and property owner Steve Kropf will have to complete a development agreement. Kropf?s development proposal for his land would include 34 townhouse units. Photo by Willy Cook
