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Smithville staff: Lakeside Farms pause could force city to upgrade Wildflower pump station, may rescind approval
Summary
Smithville planning staff told the Planning and Zoning Commission that the Lakeside Farms developer has paused work for about two years, prompting staff to recommend the city upgrade the Wildflower pump station and to consider rescinding Lakeside’s approval so plans can be renegotiated.
Smithville planning staff told the Planning and Zoning Commission on a staff report that the developer for the Lakeside Farms subdivision has notified the city it will pause work for about two years, and staff advised the city to move ahead with upgrades to the Wildflower pump station to avoid restricting other developments.
Jack, a city staff member, said engineers’ capacity estimates for the North Force Main have fallen since the city’s 2021 sewer master plan. He said Clay Creek Meadows was limited to 159 units until Wildflower upgrades are completed, and that the Lakeside Farms plan had been the anticipated means to add capacity. “We were notified last week that the developer at Lakeside was likely gonna have to pause their work there for approximately 2 years,” Jack said. “We will be bringing that to the commission at the next meeting to rescind that approval and require them to resubmit.”
Why it matters: The North Force Main serves multiple northern subdivisions, and capacity limitations can block build-out. Jack told commissioners that the 2021 sewer master plan showed 265 available units on the North Force Main and indicated an additional 320 units would be available after Wildflower improvements, for 585 total; that buffer has declined as nearby projects such as Grayhawk have added demand.
Details and staff recommendation: The Lakeside Farms development agreement approved by this commission in December and by the Board of Aldermen on Jan. 7, 2025, assumed the Lakeside developer would provide a new pump station or otherwise address Wildflower capacity. With the developer pausing work, staff recommended the city itself perform the Wildflower pump station upgrade so other projects would not be held up. Jack said the city code cited in the staff report allows the commission, within six months of approval and where conditions have substantially changed, to require a developer to resubmit plans. Staff told the commission it would likely ask them at the next meeting to rescind the current approval and require Lakeside Farms to reapply when it is ready.
How the system links: Jack described the North Force Main and related infrastructure as serving Harborview, Rollins Landing, Grayhawk, Wildflower, Diamond Crest, Lake Meadows, Harbor Lakes, Rock Creek and others. He said upgrades would reconfigure flows and may increase available capacity once completed.
What was not decided: No formal action was taken at this meeting to rescind the Lakeside Farms approval. Jack said staff would bring a formal request to the commission at a future meeting. No timetable for city-funded upgrades, cost estimates, or funding sources were provided in the staff report.
Next steps: Staff indicated it would place a request to rescind the prior approval and require resubmission on the commission’s agenda at an upcoming meeting; commissioners will then decide whether the changed conditions constitute a substantial justification under the code and whether to require a new submittal.
Ending: Commissioners asked clarifying questions about which developments would be affected and whether rescission would apply only to Lakeside Farms; Jack confirmed the rescind recommendation would be narrowly targeted to the parcel that cannot proceed within the developer’s stated two-year pause.
