T-R PHOTO BY SUSANNA MEYER Le Grand City Councilman Tyler Sawyer, pictured, voted against the rezoning of the property located at 506 W. Main St. from residential to commercial, along with Don Weitzell and Todd Parrish.

LE GRAND — After several months of debate about the rezoning of the property located at 506 W. Main Street in Le Grand from residential to light commercial classification, the city council made the decision to deny the request at its regularly scheduled meeting on Tuesday night.

Mike Wright, the owner of Wright’s Construction and Development Incorporated, planned on using the property to build storage units, something community members and council members alike expressed mixed feelings about during recent meetings.

A public hearing was held prior to the vote, and multiple community members spoke out against the rezoning. One citizen in the audience, Lynn Rhodes, said her chief concern was the location of the property.

“I am opposed to it being on Main Street mostly because it’s on Main Street. Most of the time storage units are in industrial parks, not on Main Street. We already have one, and I’ve heard most of the neighbors around that one don’t care for it being there,” Rhodes said. “I think it would decrease property value.”

Others were concerned that approving the rezoning would set a precedent for future disputes by opening the door for commercial businesses to build near residential properties.

After hearing comments from the public, Mayor Shane Sweitzer closed the hearing, and Wright addressed the council prior to their vote.

Wright said 96 percent of his company’s storage units are currently rented to Le Grand citizens, as opposed to out-of-town renters, and all of the current units are in use with three individuals on a waiting list.

“I don’t think storage units are bad for the place. I don’t think it brings prices down around it. I think it’s a big asset to the city,” Wright said. “We just felt that the demand and the need is there for it, and that’s a good spot for it. So with that, I’ll leave it at that.”

With no further discussion, the conversion was rejected by a narrow vote of 3-2. Council members Don Weitzell, Todd Parrish and Tyler Sawyer voted against the rezoning, while council members Troy Underhill and Judy Cecak voted to approve it.

In other business, the council:

Approved an ordinance amending the Le Grand code of ordinances by amending provisions pertaining to sewer service charges.

Tabled the establishment of a policy for emergency responders and public officials regarding a northern natural gas pipeline emergency.

Approved selling a city vehicle — a Ford F250 — by sealed bid process, with bids being due May 6 at noon.

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Contact Susanna Meyer at 641-753-6611 or smeyer@timesrepublican.com.