Developers seeking to build 101 single-family homes on a parcel along Vernon View Drive presented a pre-application plan to the Municipal Planning Commission on Aug. 14. The presentation generated extensive questions from commissioners, city staff and members of the public about transportation access, stormwater, tree replacement, public-safety access and phasing.

Chris Wallace, legal counsel for the developer, said the site is currently zoned R-1 and the application before the commission is to develop 101 owner-occupied single-family residences in two phases: lots 1–72 in phase one and lots 73–101 in phase two. "The site is currently zoned r 1, for single family residents," Wallace said, and he added the homes are intended to be owner-occupied, stick-built houses roughly in the 1,500–2,000 square-foot range with an anticipated price point the team previously discussed in the roughly $350,000–$400,000 neighborhood.

The plan shown to the commission initially included a single entrance; city staff and the commission emphasized the Transportation Plan requires multiple exits and a future connector. The mayor and the public-services/safety director said a single ingress/egress for 101 homes would present emergency-service and snow-removal problems and cited the city transportation master plan that requires a minimum of three exits from the larger area. Staff said developers will need to demonstrate connections that link to Coshocton Avenue and to the east to relieve traffic and meet the city’s transportation and emergency-access standards.

Stormwater capacity was another focus. City stormwater staff reported the Center Run watershed is at capacity and told the developer retention and detention requirements and EPA rules must be met; staff said some recent developments have achieved compliance and that the city will not accept variances from stormwater standards. The developer acknowledged multiple plan versions exist in the packet (one drawing showed two ponds, another showed three ponds and differences in green-space placement) and agreed to clarify and submit the final plan.

Other items commissioners and staff required before a formal application: a traffic-impact analysis or counts demonstrating how multiple access points will function; a tree inventory and a replacement plan to be reviewed by the Shade Tree and Beautification Commission; screening and setback details along adjacent neighborhoods (particularly Woodside and Upland Terrace); clarification on whether streets and sidewalks will be public (staff said they will be public); and a maintenance plan for private stormwater facilities (the developer indicated the site engineer would provide maintenance details at a later meeting). The developer said he expects to sell lots to a local builder and build to market demand.

Outcome of the pre-application: no decision was required or made at the meeting. The commission directed the developer to work with engineering and planning staff, involve the site engineer in person at future meetings, and return with clarified final plans, traffic and stormwater studies, and a tree replacement plan. The commission said the next formal submission will include a public hearing and that the board will determine whether the major subdivision requires council review under the city’s procedural rules for major subdivisions.

Why it matters: the proposal would add 101 houses and an estimated increase in school-aged children and vehicle trips to the east side of Mount Vernon if approved; the commission’s comments will shape the formal application and required studies.