Commission conditions Charter Heights plat approval on 60-foot access dedication and outlines future Ridge West Estates connection

The Mill City Planning Commission voted to approve the Charter Heights final plat with staff planning considerations and a requirement that temporary access easements be revised to a 60-foot right-of-way dedication to align with the Land Development Regulations. Commissioners and the applicant discussed connectivity to Robertson Road, planned future Ridge West Estates subdivision, and sidewalk provision near the proposed charter school parcels.

Commissioners asked staff and the applicant to ensure the plats and subsequent Ridge West Estates submittal provide connectivity and align public-right-of-way widths with the LDRs. Sean Guskin of CECS Engineers explained the current submittal provides temporary access easements and that the charter school parcel split (an acreage being purchased and one being donated) led to the current two-lot configuration. Guskin said internal future phases will connect to Poison Spider Lane and that sidewalks are not shown in the immediate plat area; he noted curb and sidewalk will be included in the Ridge West Estates plat that the applicant plans to file next month.

Commissioners pressed for clarity about access standards; staff confirmed the Land Development Regulations require a 60-foot dedicated right-of-way for public streets. The applicant agreed to modify the temporary accesses to a 60-foot dedication so future plats will align with the city’s standard. The commission approved the plat with those planning considerations and the 60-foot dedication condition.

The approval preserves staff’s other standard planning conditions and anticipates the applicant’s forthcoming zoning change request to R-1 and the Ridge West Estates plat, which will bring additional lots, internal curb and sidewalk, and further connectivity to Robertson Road.