Corcoran residents press city to open Hunters Ridge access to County Road 116, citing safety and contract language

Several residents of the Bellwether neighborhood urged the Corcoran City Council on Jan. 25, 2024, to open Hunters Ridge to County Road 116 (CSAH 116), saying the connection is required under the recorded Bellwether development contract and that current access limitations create safety and evacuation risks.

The push drew multiple public comments and a pledge from city staff to locate and share past contract and meeting records. The issue centers on language in the Bellwether master development contract about Hunters Ridge and two cost items residents said were tied to phasing milestones.

"We really believe accessing Hunters Ridge will relieve an awful lot of the headaches and the safety even issues that go on," said Mark Woda, a Bellwether resident who addressed the council during open forum.

Why it matters: residents told the council that with limited routes in and out of Bellwether — currently the main entrance and a second exit via Stieg Road and Highway 101 — the neighborhood could face bottlenecks in a natural-disaster or medical-emergency evacuation. They also point to recorded contract language they say obligates completion of Hunters Ridge improvements during later development phases.

Contract language and resident claims

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