The city council chamber was full of both people and zoning amendments last night.

The most heated discussion occurred during the second public hearing, when Wayne resident Chad Sebade requested that what is described as “Block 3, John Lake’s Addition” be rezoned as an R-3 Residential District. This would allow for a multi-family dwelling on the property.

“It would make a great location for quiet apartments two blocks from location,” Sebade said. He argued that the apartments he wanted to build would be in a great spot for students to be able to walk to class without having to find parking spots on campus.

Sebade’s plan, which ultimately died due to the lack of a second from the council, was to build four 2-bedroom apartments. The 2-bedroom apartments would guarantee party-free living from the students who rent the living spaces, according to Sebade.

While the worries of adding young and unpredictable students to their neighborhood grew, the nearby residents coherently focused on the aesthetic appeal of the area.

“Wayne has some quaintness about it,” Jason Barelman said. “Apartment buildings aren’t going to do anything for that neighborhood. We need to look at the investment of people who live around there. It’s not just college students that choose to live there. It’s college [faculty].”

The proposal was introduced by the Council, but due to the following silence, the motion died.

Though many of the community members expressed concern about college students living in apartments near the area, City of Wayne Zoning Administrator, Joel Hansen, clarified that Sebade’s request, rezoning from R-3 (single-family dwellings) to R-3 (multi-family dwellings) is about that—what is allowed, “not who will be living there.”