During a Wednesday meeting that included spectators from thesurrounding neighborhood, the Brookhaven Planning Commission stoodby its recommendation to hold the number of planned homes in theproposed Brookway Place development at 28 residences.

“The motion will be to recommend approval of Brookway Placedevelopment as requested,” said Dudley Lampton, attorney for theplanning commission.

The subdivision is proposed to go up in the open field flankedby Brookwood Avenue and Union Street. There has been controversyover whether the neighborhood would be amenable to putting a newdevelopment there, with area residents citing everything fromproperty values to home size to traffic flow in their argumentsagainst it.

“I would hope you would adopt an attitude that this might saveyour land,” commission member Lu Becker told the audienceWednesday. “You’re right there on Highway 51 and Union (Street). Iwould think you would see this as protection.”

In an earlier planning commission meeting, developer JamieMiller agreed to bring down the number of homes in the proposedsubdivision from 32 to 28, a move which satisfied some adjoininglandowners. A commission recommendation with that home number wassent to the Brookhaven Board of Aldermen, but the city board sentit back for additional consideration.

In addition to reducing the number of planned homes, Miller hadalready planned to erect a privacy fence around the area beforehome construction begins.

Miller said the homes would be between 1,200 and 1,500 heatedsquare feet, and that the garages would add additional footage. Hesaid at this time he isn’t sure how many two-bedrooms and how manythree-bedrooms there will be.

“I feel like a lot of these will pre-sell,” he said. “And thetwo-bedrooms probably won’t be as popular as the three-bedrooms forresale purposes.”

Residents who were concerned about their property value wereinformed that the new houses in Brookway Place will be valued atsimilar or higher prices than their own homes.

“We believe that this development will be completed, and that itwill be an asset,” said commission member David Phillips. “If thiswas in my neighborhood, I’d be happy about it.”

Neighborhood resident Clint Earls expressed the desire of theneighborhood just to know that the project is going to be apositive one, since the surrounding areas have been used to developthe juvenile detention center and the emergency mental healthfacility.

“We want a 100 percent guarantee it’s going to be done right,”he said. “We’re surrounded if it’s not right. We’re boxed in.”

Committee member Ronnie Macabee told the neighborhood residentshe had thought long and hard about why he planned to vote tosupport the development of the area.

“He (Jamie Miller) is willing to put up a fence when he doesn’thave to,” he said. “He’s going above and beyond what he needs to doto make sure this is done right.”

The committee also stressed to area residents that the finalplat will have to be approved by the planning commission. So farMiller has complied with all ordinances and regulations.

Miller had referred residents to Foxchase Subdivision in McCombas a development he had worked on. Resident Harold Williams said hegone to McComb to see them and didn’t find them specificallyimpressive.

“Well, they appraise for 100 dollars a square foot, so someone’simpressed with them,” said Miller.

The commission will now send its recommendation back to theBrookhaven Board of Aldermen.