Bill 25-0093 would allow multifamily housing along the commercial corridor and in some nearby residential areas. Dorsey and supporters say the zoning change could attract new residents and strengthen businesses along the route.

But opposition remains strong. A letter sent last week to the mayor and City Council, signed by 50 residents, urged council members to reject the measure or abstain. The signers objected to the council’s tradition of “councilmanic courtesy,” in which members generally defer to the colleague representing the district affected by a proposal.

“In this situation, Courtesy translates to Complicity,” the letter said. It argued that the rezoning could undermine residents’ home equity and their ability to enjoy quiet neighborhoods. Opponents also cite a petition with 958 signatures and say they will bring another legal challenge if the bill passes and is signed into law.

The dispute follows a court ruling in July that nullified an earlier version of the overlay. A judge found that more than 1,700 affected residents and property owners had not received proper legal notice of the zoning change.

The current version was approved by the committee Dorsey chairs and advanced by the full council last month on a 9-3 vote, with two members abstaining. Monday’s third-reader vote is the final council vote on the bill.

In their letter, opponents compared the proposal to past urban renewal projects that damaged Black neighborhoods in West Baltimore, including the so-called Road to Nowhere, a highway project that was never completed. They warned that plans promoted as ways to stimulate business and investment can also destroy established communities.

Dorsey has held two town halls about the proposal and has pushed back against criticism of his housing policies. In a recent constituent newsletter, he described opponents of development as “BANANA” — “Build Absolutely Nothing Anywhere Near Anything” — and said he was elected a decade ago to make change.