The Issue Over Proposed Rezoning in Nixa
There has been recent controversy concerning an issue of rezoning land in Nixa for multi-family use in a development called “The Columns”. This land is near the Community Center and is bordered by the developments of Parkhill, Maplewood Hills, The Springs and The Villages at Wicklow.
There is a rezoning request before the Nixa Planning and Zoning board on June 7th to rezone approximately 4 acres of land from single family (R1) to multi-family (R3). This land is located in what was phase 5 of “The Columns”, now being sold off as Highland Ridge East.
The collapse of the housing market and slumping new home construction has created a temporary slowdown in the development of our neighborhoods. The developer, PGH Investments, has entered into a controversial partnership to sell this land to a Springfield based company called Sustainable Housing Solutions. Their intention is to develop single and multi-family rental homes utilizing government subsidies provided by a grant through MHDC, Missouri Housing Development Commission, and Low Income Housing Tax Credits.
Allowing this land to be rezoned for more multi-family developments in Nixa will lead to a loss of revenue for the City as the offset in property tax income will not generate the same tax revenue as with non-subsidized owner occupied homes. Simple math tells us that shortfalls might be close to two thirds property tax revenue lost to the City, coupled with the potential of increasing the burden on our school system and city services.
The subsidized tax credits used to build these projects will also give an enormous advantage to the outside developer over our own local home builders, not to mention an unfair advantage over other privately owned rental properties in Nixa.
Rezoning this land for multi-family (R-3) opens the flood gates for additional subsidized multi-family rental projects in the area and would set a precedent toward future rezoning requests in the surrounding R1 zoned lands.
People wanting to take advantage of these subsidies and live in these projects will have to be brought into Nixa, leaving many homes already on the market for years unsold and current existing multi-family housing developments unfilled.
As Highland Ridge finally becomes saturated with low-income single and multi family subsidized rental projects, the land will become less attractive to families wanting to build next to them. This will make the land less attractive to people wanting to buy or build a home in Nixa and will accelerate a certain economic decline of home property values in these communities.
Many residents have been told by several people looking to buy a home within this area that they will not buy or build a home in The Columns until it is decided how the area will be developed. City Council needs to take quick decisive action to give home buyers confidence to buy or build homes, not rentals, on these lands.
The endorsement for this project was given by Nixa City Council without a public forum or support of the communities affected. The public was not allowed to voice their opinion on this project and violates MHDC's own policy that not only must there be an identifiable need for housing but the project must "demonstrate local support".
The housing market is recovering. Houses are being sold and people are building. The City of Nixa needs to be patient. It doesn’t serve residents in the affected communities or the citizens of Nixa by destabilizing property values in these neighborhoods.
