(ABC 6 News) – A decision is settled on one of Rochester’s oldest neighborhoods, stemming from a proposed zoning change and residents who live in Pill Hill weren’t happy about it.

During Monday night’s city council meeting Southwest Rochester residents’ concerns were addressed, some are still not happy about it. Residents of Historic Southwest remain upset, citing the zoning changes aren’t actually affordable multi-family housing, contrary to what the city says there intended to be.

It’s been a back and forth discussion between residents and the city, but the historic parcels of the Pill Hill neighborhood will primarily remain single family parcels, despite the city’s recommendation earlier this year.

“We really built this most recent recommendation off of direction from the city council on October 2nd,” said Rochester Deputy Director of Community Development, Ryan Yetzer. “Our recommendation was to include the area originally and council determined to pull out this historic southwest, Pill Hill area.”

The approved revisions scale back the development substantially, however, a portion of the Historic Southwest neighborhood will still move forward with R2-X zoning changes. It’s a decision not all neighbors are on board with including residents like Sasha Gentling.

“Historic Southwest sits next to one of the best hospitals in the world and has a close history with the founding of Mayo Clinic, and if there is one single neighborhood in the entire upper Midwest that should remain single family residential, it’s ours,” said Gentling during Monday night’s council meeting.

In a vote of 5 to 2 Monday night, the areas allowed to move forward with multi-family units include portions of Folwell, Kutzky park and the Historic Southwest neighborhoods.

Ward two council member Mark Bransford represents all three of these neighborhoods. He says his vote was based of what his constituents wanted – and it wasn’t multi-family housing.

“The primary concern was compatibility and affordability which is a perfectly reasonable position to take. It had nothing to do with who they would live near,” Bransford said. “We share our neighborhood and it has nothing to do with the people but how the developments look.”

In addition, Bransford says his constitutes want the city council to have more say in deciding who builds these units.

“The people found out we don’t have a vote on developments that might come forward and they didn’t like it, and I am their voice. As a council, we don’t have a vote and I’d like to revisit that. I think there needs to be more public input on developments that come forward,” said Bransford.

With the council passing these R2-X zoning changes, this will now allow for the parcels to have small apartments and multi-family housing as well as commercial use in these neighborhoods.