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Planning commission approves preliminary plat for Poppy’s Place, grants variance on water and sewer connections
Summary
The Washington Planning and Zoning Commission approved a preliminary plat for Poppy’s Place and granted a variance from the subdivision code requirement to connect new lots to city water and sewer, citing extraordinary hardship tied to topography and MoDOT right-of-way.
The City of Washington Planning and Zoning Commission approved a preliminary plat for “Poppy’s Place” and granted a variance that waives the usual requirement to connect newly created lots to city water and sewer.
The matter (file 25-0501) covers property at 5415 and 5475 Highway 100 that staff described as currently deeded as a single lot but effectively divided by prior Missouri Department of Transportation (MoDOT) right-of-way work. Planning staff recommended allowing the owners to record a two-lot subdivision while postponing mandatory connection to municipal water and sewer because of “extraordinary hardship,” including steep slopes, long utility distances and MoDOT easements that obstruct direct routes.
Planning staff said Lot 1 (the parcel with Accessories Unlimited) measures about 4.05 acres and Lot 2 about 22.42 acres; the smaller lot contains a 1,500-square-foot storage shed and relies on a private well and septic system. Staff reported the nearest city sewer manhole uphill (toward Fifth Street) is roughly 1,500 feet away; a downhill route would require about 2,200 feet and a lift station. The nearest water lines were measured at about 1,200 feet uphill or roughly 1,000 feet downhill from the property. Staff told commissioners that extending service would require major construction on riprap and fill placed by MoDOT and that MoDOT approval for utility work in that corridor would be unlikely.
Commissioners discussed future development scenarios. Staff said the variance does not eliminate the requirement that any future development that triggers water or sewer capacity needs must come back and resolve utility service at the time of building permit review. As staff put it, development that needs more than an individual septic/toilet setup would “have to come back and…address at that point how they’re going to handle the water.”
A motion to accept the preliminary plat and approve the variance passed; the commission recorded the vote as in favor and the clerk announced “Ayes have it.”
The decision allows the parcels to be sold and recorded without immediate utility connections but preserves the city’s ability to require service or bonds if development later makes connections reasonably available.
