Council had tabled the matter at its earlier March meeting for additional study.

Charles Heritage, vice president of Weaver-Kirkland Housing LLC and MK Properties LLC was the only person to speak during a public hearing this evening.

“We have another facility right next (to the proposed site),” he said, referring to River Town Manor, a complex for seniors. “I feel like we did a great job. We know there is a need for more housing.”

He told council the company has a third-party marketing analysis done to assess the need for projects like the one the panel approved, which will be called River Towne Villas.

The 80-unit development, he said, will fill one-tenth of the city's housing needs.

Councilman Wayne Smith asked Heritage about buffers, to which the vice president replied, “We want to be good neighbors. Typically, we will have a buffer and fence, not only for our residents and neighbors, but for the security of both parties.”

Council approved both the statement of consistency for the project as well as the rezoning.

Construction of River Towne Villas would begin by the end of the year, Heritage said at a recent planning board meeting where the project was considered.

The project will contain a mix of one, two and three-bedroom units with a clubhouse and on-site amenities such as a playground, covered picnic area with tables and grills as well as a gazebo. The units will be priced from the middle $400 to the middle $700 range.