01/08/2003 P&Z Minutes - Laserfiche WebLink

Home Search

Planning & Zoning Board January 8, 2003 Page 28 APPROVED MINUTES access. He stated it will be 30 days until the State adopts that code and then it will take the City a while to consider adoption. E. Jim Keefe, 6300 Rolling Hills Drive, Keefe Minor Subdivision Jim Keefe, 6300 Rolling Hills Drive, stated he appreciates the opportunity to present his case. He noted that all of the P&Z members have viewed his property. He explained that he is attempting to split out two five-acre parcels and would end up with 37.5 acres of land with three homes on the property. He stated that would not meet the requirements of the ordinance to a “T” but would meet the spirit of the ordinance. He stated this is a fairly unique piece of property and there is not a whole lot left he can do with it. He stated his access to sewer and water is cut off so he is trying to do what he can with what he has left. Chair Schaps asked if, in general, Mr. Keefe’s request is allowable. Mr. Smyser stated there is a minimum ten acre lot size in unsewered areas and this area is guided for Residential, Sewered in Stage 2 (after 2010). He explained that the problem with making large lot developments in this area is that it will prevent utilities from coming through in the future. Then property owners who want the improvements will not be able to afford the assessments to serve them. That creates gaps where you cannot extend City sewer and water. He stated this is an instance where a proposal goes completely against the Comprehensive Plan and would require many variances of the Zoning Ordinance. He stated it is not a matter of whether staff want s or does not want this to be approved, but a matter that the City made some decisions on what was to happen in areas at certain times. There are guidelines that if development is to occur, there are ways to do that. He stated there is a long public policy determination process that takes years to complete and then things come up so the issue is what credibility the City’s policy have if the rules are made and then ignored. Chair Schaps stated he understands those concerns and that with every set of rules there may have to be an exception. He reviewed the surrounding property uses to the Keefe property, noting that to the north is Clearwater Creek so there will be no service from that area; to the east there is only wetland that will not be developed and if service came from that direction the cost would be unapproachable; to the south the property is developed with wells and septics; and to the west it is wetland. He stated he understands what the Comprehensive Plan says but thinks this is a situation that may not have been addressed and if there is any reasonable use of this property it may have to be through well and septic development. Mr. Smyser stated he has no way of knowing how sewer and water could come to this property since no feasibility studies have been done. He noted that the submittal by Mr. Keefe show just a few of the one acre lots to the south that are served by well and septic, and they have been in place for a very long time. He commented on the Twilight Acres area where septics started to fail and there were no other locations on those one acre lots to locate another septic. He stated that eliminating land from being available for City sewer and water eliminates it for other land as well due to the cost to extend improvements.