Bell : Building Freeze Enacted

The Bell City Council has placed a 45-day freeze on residential development in most parts of the city until staff members can study the effect of further housing development on city services as well as on the quality of life, City Administrator John Bramble said.

The council, which Monday night voted 4-0 for the construction freeze, will consider in January whether to extend the moratorium for a year or draft a permanent slow-growth law. Councilman Jay Price, who has opposed restrictions on housing development, abstained from voting.

The council took up the issue of density in the 2.9-square-mile city last month when newly hired Planning Director William Phelps discovered that hundreds of property owners have been building apartment complexes behind single-family homes in violation of city zoning codes. That practice has nearly doubled the small city’s population in the last 10 years, officials said.

Councilman George Cole, who has complained that the 20,000-resident city cannot support increased population density, has suggested a slow-growth ordinance.

A special work session is being considered for January, in which property owners, developers, and real estate agents can voice their opinions, Bramble said.