Paradise board approves Michael John zone change and tentative map after neighbors press safety, wall and drainage concerns

The Paradise Town Advisory Board voted March 25 to approve a package of land‑use items for a Michael John single‑family subdivision on Warm Springs Road, including a plan amendment, zone change, waivers of development standards, design review and a tentative map for five single‑family lots.

Jeffrey Armstrong, representing the applicant, described the application as a continuation of a previously approved phase and told the board the submission covers phase 2 of the project. Nearby residents spoke at the meeting with multiple concerns: emergency‑vehicle access and turnaround on a proposed dead‑end street, the height and extent of a new block wall adjoining existing properties, drainage and notification during construction.

Resident Sherissa Tilly said the development is denser than the surrounding neighborhood and asked whether fire equipment would be able to reach homes at the end of the street and what turnaround space would be available. “If there’s a fire out among those last two houses … how does an emergency vehicle turn out?” Tilly asked. Board members and staff discussed driveway geometry and access. A county planner at the meeting said the department had no comment on the project’s fire operations but noted that firefighters may pull lines and stop short of the end and operate on foot when turning space is limited.

Another neighbor raised concern about the height of the block wall. The applicant indicated that a six‑foot wall was planned for the current phase and that no waiver for a taller wall was being requested; the board recorded confusion about prior approvals and asked the applicant to double‑check earlier records that residents referenced.

The board approved agenda items 3 (plan amendment), 4 (zone change), 5 (waivers and design review) and 6 (tentative map) with preliminary staff conditions. In the motion on design review the board added direction that the applicant should work with staff on improving the street layout to provide safer entry and exit for emergency and larger service vehicles; the board also adopted a condition requiring disclosure to future buyers of known animal life and a requirement that neighbors be provided contractor and engineer contact information during construction.

Why it matters: The changes reclassify roughly 0.83 acres from RS‑20 to RS‑3.3 and allow a five‑lot subdivision; the density change triggered neighbor concerns about public safety access, wall heights and drainage that the board asked staff and the applicant to address before the project advances to the county planning commission.

Details and context: The application materials showed the property generally located on the south side of Warm Springs Road, east of Topaz Street. The tentative map proposes five single‑family lots and common lots on approximately 0.83 acres; the overall development area discussed for phase 2 was about 4.33 acres. The applicant said a drainage study will be performed to address runoff and grading questions.

What happens next: With the advisory board’s approval and added conditions, the project advances to the county planning commission and subsequent county hearings where staff conditions and public comments will be further considered.

Speakers quoted in this article are drawn from the meeting record and include only those who spoke during these agenda items.