Zoning request granted for townhome development
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STAR CITY - Star Haven Manufactured Home Community will become a neighborhood of townhomes. But it will take a few years.
Star City Town Council Tuesday voted 5-1 to approve a request to rezone to trailer park along Somerset Street from Class A Residential (single family) to Class B Residential (multiple family). Councilmember Jennifer Hunt voted no and Andy Laskody was absent.
Hunt said she voted no because she thought the area would be better served by replacing the mobile homes with single-family homes rather than the planned townhomes.
Jakob Godfrey, owner of Springdale LLC and Star Haven, made the request Oct. 6 and council tabled the decision until this week.
Prior to the vote, Betty Forester, a resident of Star Haven, told council she wanted them to consider the homeowners and renters who would have to find a new place to live before making a decision. She said she was concerned about losing her home and not being able to afford moving.
After the meeting, Forester and Godfrey spoke outside council chambers and he assured her he would help her find a place to move her mobile home and help her move it. She said that eased her mind.
Town attorney explained to council that it had to act on Godfrey's request.
"The applicant deserves that and the law requires it," Tim Stranko said. "The statute does not allow us to add conditions to the application. You are voting yes or no and if you vote no, you must give a reason. If you don't act, his request is automatically granted."
Godfrey previously told council it was no longer feasible to operate the mobile park because of dated infrastructure, particularly the water lines. His plan is to take the mobile homes out and build two single-family homes and four or five buildings containing up to 26 townhomes. Those will be sold and not rented.
The infrastructure of that community dates back to the 1960s, when the park was started by Joseph and Ruth Trovato. In October 2021, Godfrey bought the park from their daughter, Sherry Lynn Trovato, who had managed it since around 2000.
To help his current renters, Godfrey is working with Black Diamond Realty to find land he can buy and put in another trailer park. That would include the appropriate infrastructure and larger lots, he said.
"This is going to take some time," he said Tuesday. "We are years away. Nothing is going to happen tomorrow, probably not this year and I doubt next year. My words will now be actions."
After the meeting, Godfrey said he would get busy immediately to work on his plans - working with Star City's Building Code Official Bobby Doyle and architectures on specifics.
Star City Town Council next will meet at 6 p.m. Nov. 3 at Town Hall, 370 Broadway Ave.