Planning commission approves Parkway Neighborhood Phase 2 site plan and preliminary plat

The Dayton Planning Commission on Oct. 12 approved the preliminary plat and site plan for Phase 2 of the Parkway Neighborhood, a 14-acre, mixed rental project that will include 273 apartments and townhomes, by a 3-0 vote.

The approval covers site layout, architecture and preliminary platting under the project’s General Mixed-Use (GMU-5) zoning and planned unit development (PUD) provisions. Staff said the PUD allows deviations from the city code in return for public benefits; in this case the developer proposed smaller setbacks and a reduction in garage and surface parking in exchange for a larger contiguous open green space (Outlot A) and wetland mitigation along Interstate 94.

Staff and commissioners raised emergency-access concerns. The development currently has a single public access road and is a long dead-end; staff noted a future emergency connection may be possible to Brockton when the Dayton Creek addition to the west develops and that a farm road and a regional trail could serve as secondary access but are not sized for fire trucks. Staff flagged the existing farm culvert as not sized for heavy apparatus.

Parking drew extended discussion. Staff reported Lot 2 is short 32 enclosed/garage stalls and Lot 1 is short 54 surface stalls versus code expectations; overall the site contains about 482 bedrooms and staff referenced a metrics calculation of 1.8 stalls per bedroom across the project. Architect Ben Delwich of Koss Wilson Architects said the design seeks to match parking to unit type: “This is a real big sort of design driver for us,” he said, describing one-stall-per-unit layouts in parts of the project, two stalls per bedroom in other buildings and added guest parking and about 48–49 clubhouse stalls. Delwich also said the team proposes up to 20 parallel street stalls across from the clubhouse to accommodate overflow.

Commissioners pressed on stall depth and driveway widths; the architect said most garage-front stalls meet a 20-foot depth and the team had gained several feet in building layout to provide additional driveway depth if needed. Commissioners suggested 22 feet would be preferable in some places and asked the civil engineer to incorporate additional drive-aisle depth options before final engineering.

Public comment included a resident who spoke during open forum about nearby traffic and construction impacts; Marsha Glover of Fernbrook Lane warned that nearby intersections are “not suitable for these big rigs” and asked the commission to consider alternate construction routes as the area builds out. The chair confirmed the commission had not approved the separate DCM plan mentioned by the resident.

The developer described a multi-year, phased construction schedule tied to market demand. The applicant indicated it expects to start construction permitting in late summer and begin horizontal work in September, with vertical construction phased to match underwriting and market absorption. The developer said the clubhouse is intended to serve units across phases and that amenities and trail connections to the regional trail are part of the overall plan.

Commissioner Darren moved approval of the preliminary plat and site plan; Commissioner Jeff seconded. The motion passed, 3-0.

Next steps: staff will work with the applicant on engineering revisions to address parking dimensions, emergency access notes in the staff report, and final PUD conditions before final plat and building permit submittals.