Shaney Parcel preliminary plat tabled as commission waits for A-3 ordinance adoption

The Planning Commission on March 6 voted 4-0 to table the preliminary plat and planned unit development application for the 107-acre Shaney Parcel pending City Council action on the A-3 district ordinance.

The Shaney proposal — described by applicant representatives as a 10-lot, large-lot residential plan that meets an approximate one-home-per-10-acre density — was presented to the commission as the first project to pursue the yet-to-be-adopted A-3 rules. Staff recommended tabling the application so the new district language is in place before the commission takes a final position on the plat.

Staff and the applicant discussed the property’s wetlands, the Greenway Overlay and the property’s limited developable upland. Staff said a “ghost plat” that realistically shows how the site might be urbanized in the future (if sewer becomes feasible) would be required along with a conservation plan for ecological features. Applicant representative Zach Brown said soil, topography and wetland constraints mean large parts of the site are unlikely to be practicably redeveloped at urban densities and that the planned 10-lot layout preserves habitat and reflects market demand for larger custom lots.

Commissioners asked the applicant to prepare a realistic ghost plat showing future utility and road corridors and discussed whether conservation easements or deed restrictions should be used to preserve upland areas; they also recommended setting aside trail easements along North Diamond Lake Road rather than building a short dead-end path within the development. The tabled application will return after the council adopts the A-3 district so reviewers can apply the new standards consistently.