Two dozen Addison homeowners protested the possible redevelopment of a former Sam's Club location into hundreds of apartment homes Thursday.
The residents held up signs and walked up and down Beltway Drive, near Midway Road.
The old Sam's Club, located at 4150 Belt Line Road, closed down several months ago.
Neighbors said the proposal to develop the area into 350 apartments plus an additional 160 three-story town homes would ruin the character of the neighborhood.
"The apartments would top out of five stories. It would tower over everything in this area. There is nothing that big along Belt Line Road. It would be unsightly," said protester Jeri Marold.
Protesters also said creating more than 500 town homes and apartments in such a small space would be a traffic nightmare, adding thousands of cars to an already congested area.
"They want to have a street come right through here. That's going to create so much traffic on this street, it's going to be horrible for the residents," Marold said.
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"City staff completed due diligence on this project, and all of the concerns have been researched and addressed," said Town of Addison Communications Specialist Rich Nichols.
Many residents also oppose the removal of a brick wall that currently separates Belt Line Road store fronts from the neighboring residential communities.
The project was first proposed in November.
"We feel that there's been such little citizen input," Marold said. "They're trying to rush this through, without listening to the concerns and the feedback from everyone who lives around here."
"We held numerous citizen input meetings where nearby homeowners voiced their concerns over traffic and height, and we encourage residents to make their opinions known at next week's council meetings, since ultimately those elected officials will decide if the development is in the best interest for the Town's future," Nichols said.
The Addison town council could vote on the plan at their next meeting on Tuesday, Jan. 26.
