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Owner seeks two-lot subdivision to preserve oak stand; plan commission raises future planning concerns
Summary
Chris Shepherd asked the commission to approve a primary plat splitting a previously subdivided parcel into two lots. Shepherd said the lot lines preserve a stand of old-growth bur oaks; planning staff expressed concern about unusual lot lines creating complications for future owners.
Property owner Chris Shepherd told the Town of Saint John Plan Commission on June 4 that his two-lot subdivision proposal for 8877 Patterson Street is intended to keep an area of old-growth burr oak trees intact and to preserve the parcel for family stewardship.
The request is for a primary plat to divide an existing parcel into two lots; one lot contains a previously built house near the railroad and the other would be a new build site facing Patterson Street. Shepherd said FEMA granted a LOMA that removed the parcel from the floodplain and that all utilities are available on Patterson. "The Southeastern corner is the only old growth oak trees on the property... I can say unconditionally, they will not be cut down, on my watch," Shepherd told the commission.
Planning staff raised a separate concern: allowing an unusual lot line configuration risks complicating future ownership and land-use planning. A planner said that 20 or 50 years from now future owners or buyers may be unaware of the atypical lot lines and urged caution from a long-range planning perspective. The planner noted the town's ordinance does not require the alternate lot configuration and recommended the commission treat the matter from a planning standpoint.
The town engineer indicated technical review of the primary plat is complete for checklist items, drainage, and the submitted drainage study; staff had also confirmed a letter of satisfactory review from NICE Engineering. The commission was told the item will be advertised and return for a public hearing and formal determination in July. No formal action or final approval was taken at the study session; staff said the item will come back June 18 for publication and proceed to a July public hearing.
