Aldermen pause The Row’s zoning requests until the petitioner appears in person

Favorable recommendations were not enough for The Row on Oct. 20. Starkville aldermen postponed the development’s two zoning requests until the petitioner appears before the board in person, leaving the height and bedroom-mix requests undecided. The carried motion did not set a new hearing date.⁠[1][2][3][4][5]

York Developments proposes the student-housing project about 450 feet southeast of Pat Station Road and Highway 12 East, directly east of Walk-On’s Sports Bistreaux.⁠[5]

The height request is about design, not another floor. Proposed buildings would reach approximately 43 feet, 8 inches against a 38-foot limit, but remain three stories. The applicant points to pitched roofs, elevated porches and 10-foot interior ceilings. Planning staff says the height variance would preserve that design without adding apartments, bedrooms or residential density.⁠[5]

The separate bedroom request would allow more than 25% of the proposed apartments to contain four or more bedrooms—the threshold at which city rules require a special exception. York says the mix responds to students who want to live with established friend groups. Staff supports the request and does not anticipate significant adverse impacts specifically from the increased share of four-bedroom units.⁠[5]

Both requests reached aldermen with unanimous recommendations: the Board of Adjustment and Appeals backed the height variance on Sept. 23, and the Planning and Zoning Commission backed the bedroom exception on Oct. 13. City staff also supported both. Those recommendations were not final permission, and aldermen’s action was postponement—not rejection or approval.⁠[3][4][5]

Approval of the two requests would not finish development review, either. The city’s report lists final Development Review Committee and engineering review, permits, and compliance with parking, access, landscaping, utility, stormwater and fire-access requirements as additional steps.⁠[5]