Littleton Planning Commission approves 2410 West Ridge Road preliminary plat for four single‑family lots

The Littleton Planning Commission voted 7-0 to approve Planning Commission Resolution 01-2025, a preliminary plat that subdivides a roughly 1.06‑acre property at 2410 West Ridge Road into four single‑family detached lots and dedicates right of way for a potential future roundabout.

Senior planner Andrea Bond told commissioners the request before the commission was "an approval of the preliminary plat, which is, which is a plan to subdivide approximately 1 acre lot into 4 lots for single family, detached development." Bond said staff found the proposal consistent with the comprehensive plan, the Unified Land Use Code and applicable engineering standards, and that 146 postcards were mailed to property owners within a 700‑foot notice radius.

The nut graf: Approval moves the project from the preliminary stage toward a final plat and later building permits, but it does not resolve outstanding neighborhood concerns. Speakers at the hearing urged more study of traffic impacts, questioned drainage effects on the adjacent cemetery and asked who would maintain narrow right‑of‑way strips that will remain between the new lots and the street.

In public comment, residents raised three recurring concerns. Kathy Houston said the proposed traffic circle is "a great concern for us" and asked for a traffic analysis before any roundabout is installed. Pam Chadbourne asked whether drainage toward the cemetery had been analyzed and said, "Drainage from this site goes into the cemetery," urging staff to show the basis for approving runoff controls. Several residents asked who would maintain the narrow landscape strips fronting the access drive; staff said those strips would remain part of the adjacent lots and would likely be maintained by the lot owners or by HOA covenants.

Applicant Tom McHale and his sons described the project's evolution. Tom McHale said the family has pursued development of the parcel for several years and that the proposal had changed over time. Connor McHale told commissioners, "our intent here originally was higher density... maybe call it four to six hundred thousand... and then now that we've gone from, you know, 12 or 14 down to 4, these are going to be multimillion dollar homes." That history — an earlier, denser cottage‑court concept reduced by code and design constraints to the current four‑lot plan — drew comment from commissioners and the public about housing affordability and code complexity.

Staff and commissioners clarified several technical points: the new cul‑de‑sac will be a private access drive and not accepted for city maintenance; an HOA will be required to maintain the private drive and the shared drainage features; the dedication includes approximately 24,100 square feet of right of way and a separate 9.5‑foot right‑of‑way dedication along Prince Street; and the roundabout is identified in the city's Transportation Master Plan but is not funded or designed and is not in Public Works' five‑year CIP.

During deliberations, commissioners also discussed whether the code's frontage requirement — which led to unusual lot lines and the need for access easements — should be reviewed in a future study session so shared‑drive situations are handled more straightforwardly.

A motion to approve the preliminary plat and Resolution 01‑2025 passed by voice vote; the chair announced "The vote is 7 in favor of the motion carries." The approval means the applicant may proceed toward final plat submittal and building permits, subject to standard final plat conditions and required engineering review.

The commission closed the item noting several follow‑up topics that may return for study, including drainage details, frontage/fronting code for private shared drives and outreach/notification practices for small residential subdivisions.