RESIDENTS WANT a developer to build a wall around his property near the Rolling Meadows subdivision.

The wall is part of a compromise that the Rolling Meadows Neighborhood Association is seeking with owner Larry Edwards to make his property with a metal building more aesthetically pleasing to its neighbors.

The move comes years after the Jackson City Council gave Edwards permission to build on the property, which neighborhood leaders say is zoned for single-family residential use and is in a flood zone on North Meadow Woods Drive.

Association Vice President Richard Keys recently commented on the matter. He believes that Edwards is running a business out of the location, and as a result, is detracting from the character of the North Jackson neighborhood.

Edwards couldn’t be reached for comment at the time of publication.

At least twice a day, he said heavy trucks cut through the area, contributing to damage on residential streets. Additionally, he said Edwards has an electric gate at the front of his property, which is out of character with surrounding lots.

LOTS IN Rolling Meadows are governed by neighborhood covenants, Keys said. The covenants prohibit residents from building metal fences in their front yards.

Association leaders met on November 30 to compose a list of requests. The group is asking Edwards to build a 10 to 12-foot wall around his property. “It should be totally solid,” he said, “so it totally isolates it from the subdivision.”

In addition to that, they’re asking Edwards to plant some fast-growing shrubbery, like Leland Cypress, in front of the wall, and find a different access point - in other words, a road outside of the neighborhood - to access his property.

“We’ve asked the city to take action if he doesn’t,” Keys said. A hearing is scheduled for December 18, which will be held if Edwards doesn’t comply, he said.

James Peden, Edwards’ attorney, said he hopes the building isn’t a controversial matter. “We are trying to work on the problem to make everyone happy,” he said.

While he admitted that the building is located on property zoned for residential use, he said the city has given him permission to build there.

“In a letter signed January 30, 2007 by Jackson Public Works Director Thelman Boyd and (engineer) Robert Lee, the structure is in compliance with the city’s flood damage prevention ordinance,” Peden said in a telephone interview.

According to the city’s Web site, the city will only issue permits to build in a flood plain if certain criteria are met, such as meeting elevation requirements and obtaining a certificate from an engineer saying that the building is “flood-proofed.”