Council postpones rezoning request for Wrights Mill Road property to allow PDD overlay review

The Auburn City Council on July 8 voted to postpone a rezoning request for about 10.1 acres on the west side of Wrights Mill Road to the Sept. 16 meeting, allowing the applicant time to pursue a Planned Development District (PDD) overlay.

The item sought rezoning from the property's existing classification to a development district housing (DDH) designation; the Planning Commission had unanimously recommended approval in May. During council discussion, members raised safety concerns about potential curb cuts onto Wrights Mill Road — an arterial with a posted 45 mph speed limit — and asked for commitments limiting direct access from the new subdivision onto Wrights Mill Road.

A city staff representative and the project applicant said the current concept proposes 21 single‑family detached lots served by an internal street with a single public street connection; the applicant told the council the development would be buffered from Wrights Mill Road. Council members said approving a DDH rezoning without a PDD overlay would leave density and access choices less restricted, and that a PDD would allow the council to lock in site‑specific conditions such as access limitations. The applicant indicated pursuing a PDD would require additional submittals and push presentations to the August/September review cycle; the council agreed to a date‑certain postponement to allow both rezoning and the PDD review to proceed together.

On the motion to postpone, the council set Sept. 16 as the date for the public hearing and final consideration. Staff noted that a PDD, if approved, would run with the land and impose conditions on future owners; absent a PDD, future owners could apply to develop under DDH rules subject to standard review processes.