SOLON– Strike two.
Trail Ridge Estates, a proposed residential development just west of Solon’s city limits, ran into another roadblock last week.
Solon’s Planning and Zoning (P&Z) Commission voted down a revised design at an April 27 meeting by a 4-3 margin.
At an April 21 Solon City Council meeting, City Administrator Cami Rasmussen reported progress had been made on the plan to annex and rezone a 130-acre subdivision west of town off Highway 382.
The P&Z had met in a work session Tuesday, April 20, to discuss significant changes made to the concept plan by developer the Watts Group, she said, and another vote by the P&Z was scheduled for April 27.
P&Z members previously voted to deny a formal application for annexation and rezoning at a Jan. 26 meeting, citing the number of overall dwellings and a preference for more standalone homes, as well as objections to the use of private drives.
At a subsequent Feb. 17 council meeting, three city council members supported the project in an informal poll, but four would be needed to override the P&Z decision. Council members Steve Duncan and Lynn Morris supported the P&Z decision against the application.
By mid-April, it sounded like things were heading toward agreement.
“There was a lot of movement last night, a lot of cooperation, a lot of good discussion, a lot of sharing of I think honest opinions about where we see Solon going,” Duncan said of the April 20 P&Z special session.
Duncan thanked city staff for their work and credited the Watts Group with being “extremely attentive” to P&Z and community feedback.
P&Z members stuck to their guns on some things, but were willing to compromise in situations, moving the proposal forward, he said.
Mayor Steve Stange agreed.
“This is a big deal, this is a lot of homes,” Stange said at the end of the council meeting. “And our city staff really hit a home run with this project.”
He praised Rasmussen, City Engineer Dave Schechinger and Public Works Director Scott Kleppe for their involvement.
At the April 27 P&Z meeting, however, the concessions were apparently not enough to convince a majority vote.
P&Z members Kristina Bevans, Denny Hansen, Steve Knight and Dave Ranard voted against the application, with Julia Lange, Rob Mesch and Cathy Noska in favor.
According to the meeting minutes, Rasmussen recapped the changes proposed by the Watts group, including replacing four-plex units along the highway with three-plexes and duplexes, the addition of an access trail to an outlet and the extension of a street to eliminate a dead end.
During the meeting, Adam Hahn of the Watts Group said 14 duplex lots were converted to single-family R-3 zoning, changing the subdivision proposal to 153 single-family lots and 138 multifamily for a total of 291 units.
Developer Gary Watts stated Trail Ridge Estates will have stronger covenants for larger lots, with local builders allowed to construct homes, the minutes noted.
As the meeting progressed, however, P&Z members raised more concerns.
Ranard had concerns with the R-3 zoning, preferring the 60-foot lots be designated R-1. Hansen indicated he would like to see the 60-foot lots possibly increased to at least 70 feet, although he acknowledged 60-foot lots would be affordable to more people, the minutes stated.
Rasmussen stated she felt agreement had been reached after the previous work session, and asked for thoughts from each member.
With four members either opposed or on the fence, Rasmussen asked the developers if they wished to proceed.
Watts stated he felt the concept was a good mixture and asked for a vote.
After Mesch’s motion to approve the concept failed 3-4, Rasmussen stated it would go before city council members as denied by P&Z once annexation agreements are in place.
Other properties are impacted by the annexation application, she said, and verbal agreements have been obtained from most of the affected property owners, the minutes reported.