Developer appeals county engineer refusal of design exception for Cosme Road; dispute centers on safety, right‑of‑way and cost

Greystone at Lake Pretty LLC appealed a county engineering decision denying a design exception (administrative variance) for roadway improvements on Cosme Road. The developer seeks permission to proceed with a 13‑lot subdivision that, the applicant said, would not require full county TS‑7 roadway upgrades along the half‑mile of Cosme Road that leads to the site.

Attorney Mark Bentley, representing the appellant, told Land Use Hearing Officer Pamela Jo Hatley that the property is a longstanding wholesale nursery slated for conversion to 13 single‑family lots. Bentley said the project reduces large‑truck traffic and includes an emergency vehicle turnaround that the county’s reviewer had identified as desirable. “Our client's intent is to convert…