T-R PHOTO BY THOMAS NELSON A virtually empty chamber housed the Marshalltown Planning and Zoning Commission Thursday evening. They, mainly through Zoom, to approve the rezoning of lots on East Southridge Road.

A new housing development is being planned at East Southridge Road — at a time when new housing is needed in Marshalltown.

Rosemont Companies LLC, from Cedar Falls, is hoping to develop approximately 15 lots in the area. The Marshalltown Planning and Zoning Commission held a public meeting on rezoning the property Thursday evening.

“We’ve got a developer who is the process of purchasing it,” Marshalltown City Planner Caleb Knutson said. “To make everything go smoother we need to rezone it.”

The commission approved the rezoning effort so now it will move on to the Marshalltown City Council. It will be on the agenda of the Sept. 28 meeting. The city has already accepted an offer from the developer.

The rezoning will change the lots’ designations from vacant to residential use.

Michael Lee Hayworth is listed as a registered agent for Rosemont Companies LLC on the Iowa Secretary of State website.

This was the second planning and zoning meeting since March when the COVID-19 pandemic first started appearing in Iowa.

The meeting was done largely via Zoom, but one commissioner, Jon Boston, was physically present for the meeting.

The city council will need to vote to approve the rezoning at their next meeting before the development is official rezoned.

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Contact Thomas Nelson at 641-753-6611 or tnelson@timesrepublican.com