Highland City Council votes to move forward on controversial storage facility

Editor’s note: The original version of this story had Councilman John Hipskind voting against rezoning the property for the storage facility. However, he actually voted in favor of the rezoning.

The conversion of an empty lot near residences on Cedar Street into a storage facility will go forward despite unanimous disapproval from the planning commission.

The Highland City Council voted 3-1 to approve a request from Englemann Enterprises LLC to rezone 904 Cedar St. from multi-family residential to industrial use, as it adjoins its existing industrial property and is currently a vacant lot.

Residents of Cedar Street were not happy with the proposal, and several of them spoke to the planning and zoning board earlier this month concerning their property values and construction traffic on their road.

The combined planning and zoning board voted unanimously against approval of the rezoning, citing concerns that there was no buffer between the industrial use and the residences.

Some of the residents also spoke before the city council June 6, protesting traffic and noise they anticipate coming from the construction equipment to be stored at 904 Cedar.

However, council members said it had always been a mixed-use area, with other commercial uses adjacent to the residential parcels on Cedar Street.

“I don’t see it as a major intrusion,” said councilwoman Peggy Bellm.

Councilman John Hipskind asked if they could require landscaping or some other buffer to make the property more aesthetically appealing to the neighbors, but community development director Breann Vazquez said no additional requirements can be put on a simple rezoning; only special use permits can have specific requirements added.

The council voted unanimously in favor of rezoning the property.

This story was originally published June 13, 2022 at 9:12 AM.