Pembroke Park schedules May hearing for 28‑unit Pembroke Park Villas; easement clears sewer access question

Pembroke Park planning staff and the applicant presented a site plan for Pembroke Park Villas LLC — a proposed four‑building, three‑story townhouse development totaling 28 units along County Line Road — and described a companion sewer easement that town legal staff and the developer negotiated to address a nonstandard sewer hookup. The commission scheduled the site plan for a noticed quasi‑judicial hearing in May and directed staff to place the easement on the April/May consent/agenda schedule so both items may be packaged for final action.

The planning consultant described the project as four three‑story townhouse buildings with about 28 residences, two parking spaces per unit, three additional guest spaces, recreation and open space and unit sizes around 2,200 square feet. The consultant said the project layout includes garage and single‑car spaces for units and recreation areas to the north of the site, and noted right‑of‑way dedications along County Line Road remain part of the approvals to be completed.

Town legal counsel and staff said earlier questions about the sewer connection have been addressed through an easement the developer offered. According to counsel, the easement will permit the town to access the private connection for future maintenance, allow installation of a flow meter or similar device so the town can track consumption, and contains indemnification language and a developer bond to cover future maintenance costs. Counsel described the easement as recordable and running with the land. The specific bond amount was discussed in the meeting but not clearly stated in the record; the applicant agreed to security sufficient to cover future maintenance obligations.

Commissioners and staff reiterated that the site‑plan vote is quasi‑judicial: the planning consultant’s presentation, the applicant’s testimony and any public comment presented at the formal hearing will form the record the commission adopts when it votes. Planning staff recommended approval with standard conditions; the applicant’s counsel and town staff were present and available to answer questions. The commission confirmed the site‑plan hearing will be advertised for May and that the easement (item 9.1) can be taken up sooner as a consent item so the two actions may be packaged together if the commission prefers.

The commission did not make a final decision on the site plan at the workshop. Instead, members agreed on the advertising and agenda scheduling steps described above and asked staff to return with the full quasi‑judicial record and easement document for the formal hearing and vote.

Ending — Next steps: The site plan will appear as a noticed quasi‑judicial item at the May hearing; staff will place the sewer easement on the upcoming consent/agenda packet so the commission can consider packaging both items together at the formal hearing.