UTICA TOWNSHIP, In. (WAVE) – Nearly one year since
withdrawing a rezoning request
in Clark County, developers with Premier Homes are eyeing up the same piece of land.
The company, alongside its lawyer, presented its new proposal to create ‘Foxtail Crossing’ as a conservation subdivision along Crone and Columbus Mann Roads near Memphis.
“Ultimately, you’ll have 610 single-family residents and four common areas,” John Kraft, the company’s attorney, said during Wednesday’s Clark County Plan Commission meeting. “While it is a lot, I think when you look at your staff report, you’re going to find in your staff report it is actually less than what could be allowed.”
Clark County Resident Cara Kennedy and others who pushed back against the original plans say the new plans don’t follow the County’s guidelines for such a development.
“If we’re supposed to go by the UDO, I feel like that should be upheld,” Kennedy said.
The county’s
Unified Development Ordinance
reads: “This is achieved by setting aside a substantial amount of the site as permanent common open space and then the homes are grouped as a compact neighborhood on the remaining portion of the site.”
Here is the preliminary plat submitted to County officials:
Foxtail Final
by
andres.lukic
“I think ‘and then,’ you know, is an important phrase there, because ‘and then’ cluster homes on what’s left,” Kennedy said. “It’s not ‘build your subdivision and then work in little areas of space’ like I feel like it was done.”
Many of the
same complaints and concerns
made last year also came again.
Several people brought up their thoughts on the county’s rural roads and how they can’t support an additional 1,200 people.
“Crone Road. I’ve been there for 36 years. It’s been paved once,” Cindi Johnson said. “There’s craters on that road. You don’t take care of it now. What are you going to do when you have these people?”
Others brought up the quality of life.
“We wanted some room. We wanted some peace and quiet. We wanted less traffic,” Scott Beeler, who lives on Ebenezer Church Road, said. “And now, if this happens, you just keep bringing more and more of that to us.”
Foxtail Crossing, if approved, would be the first conservation subdivision in the county. That new territory also comes with new questions, including whether the proposal fits the guidelines established less than 5 years ago.
The commission chose to table its vote, despite developers arguing that the plans were a ministerial matter.
“My understanding of what you were saying, my interpretation was there are a lot of facts here that you need to analyze to see if it actually does comply with the ordinance,” the Commission’s attorney Chris King said. “I think that’s sufficient.”
Cara and others tell us that stopping what’s inevitable isn’t their goal. Rather, they want to see development done properly and guided in the right direction.
“We know growth is coming,” Bobby Windell, who lives on an adjacent property, said. “Let’s just be responsible about it.”
The issue will be taken up at the next County Planning Commission meeting on August 13.
Developers from Premier Homes told WAVE they have no comment.
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