The Sioux City Council voted to approve a site plan for 292981 Anna Circle in the Chestnut Hill development, adding an amendment that requires a sidewalk along the southerly frontage of Blue Drive.

The action overturned a Planning and Zoning Commission denial and came after a public hearing where city staff, the applicant and councilmembers discussed requested waivers to municipal code driveway and setback standards, on‑street parking constraints, and how snow removal would be handled.

The council’s decision matters because the development combines 17 lots into attached units and asks the city to waive typical code distances that affect how driveways and sidewalks function for residents and city services. Councilmembers said they wanted to lock in the sidewalk requirement so a future council would not have to revisit the issue.

City planning staff explained the applicant had requested three waivers to municipal code requirements. Staff said the municipal code normally requires a 10‑foot interior side yard setback, a 20‑foot spacing between driveways of separate units and 15 feet between driveways of attached units; the petitioner combined the 17 lots and sought a waiver for the interior side yard setback. Staff reported the proposed driveways average about 0 to 6 feet between some units and about 12 feet between attached unit driveways, below the standard separation.

Casey Fenton, the applicant’s representative, said the sidewalk along Blue Drive was shown in the original Chestnut Hill master plan and that the developer intends to install the sidewalk before building the units. “We’re actually actively putting in the sidewalk right now,” Fenton said, adding crews will connect the walk to Addison Circle and continue toward the Ivner strip mall so the sidewalk “will be done before we even start construction.”

Council and staff pressed Fenton on maintenance questions. Fenton told the council a single owner will hold all 17 units and that owner or their contractor will handle snow removal for the private areas serving the units. “We’ll do that snow removal. If it becomes an overburden, we’ll haul off,” Fenton said.

Patrick Simons, Field Services Manager for the city, described how the city clears cul‑de‑sacs: crews run a loader plow up the center and push snow to the curb. He cautioned that the close driveway spacing increases the burden on whoever must clear snow and said space for snow storage in the right‑of‑way and green strips will be limited. “That’s typically how we handle these cul de sac situations for snow removal,” Simons said. “You’re looking at 375 feet of linear foot that you’re going to have to maintain.”

Councilmembers also discussed on‑street parking limits under current code. Planning staff said the code’s driveway‑spacing requirement assumes 20‑foot on‑street parking stalls; because most driveway separations in the proposal do not meet that figure, staff said the stretch would likely need to be signed as no on‑street parking to avoid blocking driveways.

Councilmembers asked for clarity on unit type and parking. Fenton said the units will be rentals and that leases will limit occupancy to two vehicles per unit, with one vehicle in a single‑deep garage and one in the driveway.

The council debated overruling the Planning and Zoning Commission, which had denied the site plan based on the requested waivers. After discussion and an amendment to require the sidewalk on the southerly portion of Blue Drive, the council moved to accept the site plan as presented with the sidewalk amendment and recorded a roll call with Councilmembers O’Kane, Janer, Scott, Waters and Moore voting yes.

The council’s approval authorizes the site plan with the added sidewalk requirement; it does not itself change municipal code standards. Staff and the developer will need to coordinate construction timing and snow‑management plans before or during site development.

Details not specified in the hearing included exact construction start dates, the contractor chosen for snow removal when hauling is required, and precise cul‑de‑sac radius measurements beyond verbal estimates discussed during the hearing.