Planning commission approves Bridle Creek Phase 10 final plat after residents raise safety, environmental questions

The Berkeley County Planning Commission voted to grant final plat approval for Bridle Creek Phase 10, a 47-lot, 31-acre single-family subdivision, contingent on receipt of surety in the amount of $1,253,678.26.

The approval follows public comment from area residents about vehicle access and emergency-response concerns and a staff and developer explanation that federal environmental permitting required eliminating planned stream crossings.

The final plat covers lots 604 through 650 (file 2506-170). Planning staff recommended approval, saying the final plat meets subdivision-ordinance requirements and recommending the surety amount. Steve Sionovich of Fox and Associates, the project engineer, explained that during permitting the developer worked with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the West Virginia Department of Environmental Protection and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to avoid stream impacts. “The EPA actually issued the developer a consent order where the developer had to do mitigation. They had to pay, a monetary into a monetary compensation fund, and we had to avoid and minimize impacts of the existing streams and waterways in order to access phase 9 and 10 of the community,” Sionovich said.

Residents told the commission they had expected a second connection (Balmoral) to be built and said the change increases traffic and can leave parts of the neighborhood with only one way in and out. “We had an incident where we had, ambulances and fire engines come, and nobody can get out because there was no other outage to get out of the area,” resident Debbie Smithies said. Dean Cook said neighbors were told the road would be built years ago and asked who at the EPA made the determination; he said he had been unable to reach EPA for details. Roger Key said existing roads are narrow and may not be adequate for emergency equipment: “This is not really an adequate road for our equipment and ambulance equipment emergency services.”

Sionovich told the commission that the choice to eliminate two stream crossings was made during permitting to avoid impacts to waters and wetlands, and that the change had been presented to the commission previously with the preliminary plats for phases 9 and 10. He said related documents had been uploaded in the final plat submittal. He also said one reason there is a single major route to the newest phases is the permitting constraints that prevented building the previously planned roadway connections.

Commissioner Ken Lewis moved to accept staff recommendation and grant final plat approval contingent on receipt of the $1,253,678.26 surety; the motion was seconded and carried. The commission record shows the final plat was approved with the contingency; the developer and staff were available after the vote to discuss the materials uploaded to the file and to provide contact information.

Planning staff materials note the developer is Panhandle Homes of Berkeley County and the engineer is Fox and Associates; the project is in the Apekin District (tax map 7, parcel 1) and will be served by public water and sewer.

Residents asked for more direct contact information for the EPA findings; the project engineer and staff said the permit and mitigation documentation are included with the project file and the developer offered to provide a link on request.