Council rejects rezoning for Westbrook Estate subdivision after residents raise drainage, traffic and lot-size concerns

Clayton City Council on an evening vote rejected a proposal by Shanghai Enterprises LLC to rezone a 30.4242-acre property near Westbrook Road and Taywood Road from RSD (residential single-unit district) to PDD (planned development district), a change staff said would allow a preliminary plan for detached homes on narrower lots.

The vote came after staff presented the application as Planning Commission case PC25-02 and recommended approval with conditions; staff’s packet described a preliminary plan for 98 single-family homes, three access points, right-of-way dedication for a multiuse path, and about 5.87 acres (19.29%) of open space. Planning staff told council the applicant would need to submit final development plans and a traffic study before construction permits could be issued.

The issue drew extended public comment and detailed responses from the applicant’s representative, Ben Schilling, who described engineering measures he said the developer would use to address neighbors’ drainage and safety concerns. “That basin will be sized to handle the flows from the development and to not increase the release rates from our development,” Schilling told…