Clayton council hears residents’ drainage, trees and emergency-access concerns for Hunter’s Path extension

A preliminary plan to extend Hunter’s Path with roughly 97 single-family houses and new streets drew a packed public hearing and focused questions Tuesday from Clayton residents about drainage, standing water, removal of trees and emergency access.

City planner Ellen (last name not specified in transcript) told the council the applicant — DDC Management, represented at the meeting by John Bills — submitted a preliminary subdivision plan for 37.098 acres near Westbrook Road and Union Road. Ellen said the plan proposes 97 single-family lots, about 11.06 acres (29.4 percent) of open space, two access points, sidewalks and a multi-use path on Westbrook Road, water and sewer tie-ins and two stormwater basins. She told council the Planning Commission unanimously recommended approval with conditions, including that final plans must address comments from Clayton staff and replace dead trees on the northwest and east property lines.

Why it matters: neighboring homeowners said they bought or built with expectations about drainage, tree lines and privacy and worry the development will make existing wet, low-lying areas worse or remove the buffer of trees that now separates yards. Several residents urged the council to require detention basins rather than retention basins and asked the developer and staff to show precisely how stormwater will be routed and handled before final approval.

John Bills, president of BDC Management (the applicant’s representative), told council he expected the project to be “a…