Returning to a proposed subdivision development off the west end of Foothills Drive that was addressed at last month’s meeting, the Planning Commission approved the amended plan during its Sept. 5 meeting.
At the August meeting, the commission was not happy with the applicant’s request for a variance to allow 31% of the subdivision’s 29 lots to be accessed by private access easement (or flags/flag lots). A recent code amendment by the city now only allows 10% of lots in a subdivision to be accessed by a flag.
Commissioners Eva Jurney and Laura Wood explained the city modified that code based on community input, with the understanding that flag lots for future homeowners could become problematic.
As such, the commission asked the applicant to return with other options that would be more amenable to the city code. The applicant’s representative, Brian Vandetta, of Udell Eng. & Land Surveying, LLC, at this recent meeting presented an updated plan for consideration.
The new design included a 27-lot development with lot sizes between 100 and 3,852 square feet larger than the original plan. The original plan would have allowed nine lots to be accessed via access and utility easements, whereas the new plan provides four lots to be accessed via flag lot and four to be accessed via access and utility easements, bringing the percentage of lots accessed as a flag lot to 15%.
Commissioner Jamie Melcher said the amended design was “way better,” and Commissioner Wood added she likes to see plans that don’t require exceptions.
