Board declines to approve rural preliminary plat, continues public hearing to Feb. 25

The Planning and Zoning Board heard a contested preliminary plat (SD-2025-01) on Jan. 28 for a 12-lot rural residential subdivision located southeast of the intersection of Interurban Drive and West 90 Third Street North in Sedgwick County.

Planning staff and the city consulting engineer recommended denial of the preliminary plat as submitted because the proposal was designed to county subdivision standards and did not meet Valley Center’s subdivision regulations for an urban-edge subdivision. Staff highlighted several specific concerns: many lots lacked direct access to a public road, the plat did not depict connections to city water and sewer where feasible, and the proposed access relied on private easements rather than public streets. Staff indicated the property is adjacent to existing city infrastructure and that Valley Center’s subdivision regulations require urban-level improvements for parcels adjacent to the city.

The applicant’s agent, Dan Garber, said the developer designed the plat under county standards based on earlier communications and soil and septic work; he said the lots were sized and configured to county requirements and driveway spacing rules, and that the developer relied on county staff direction when the property was purchased. Garber asked the board to consider the plat as submitted.

Board members, staff and the applicant discussed possible compromises: converting some access easements to city streets, connecting to water, and options for sharing sewer/lift-station costs among a larger set of lots. After discussion, the board recessed the hearing and continued the item to 7:00 p.m. on Feb. 25 to allow the applicant and staff to work on revisions; staff said it would republish notice if the plat was materially revised.