Culver Ave. Building Moratorium Is Nixed

A councilman’s proposal to impose a 45-day building moratorium on East Culver Avenue died without a vote Tuesday when residents and property-rights activists resisted.

The Old Towne street has been controversial for years because the zoning allows for multiple dwellings on the large lots. But design standards in Old Towne tend to favor single-family homes, keeping more in line with the character of the neighborhood and the mile-square historic district.

Councilman Dan Slater suggested the moratorium, saying it would give planners time to work out a solution to the zoning dilemma.

More than a dozen neighbors expressed fierce opinions on both sides of the controversy during the City Council meeting.

Ralph Zehner, who prompted the latest controversy when he proposed building five units behind his 1904 Craftsman bungalow, said that the city already has too much control over property in the historic district. Others said they feared their property would lose value under a moratorium.

Shannon Tucker, a moratorium supporter who lives on Culver, said that the measure would clarify the development standards. “It doesn’t work the way it is,” she said. “I know these lots will have to be developed; it’s the type of development we’re talking about.”

Slater withdrew his suggestion when fellow council members said they would not back the moratorium.