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Community Development committee clears Lawn Avenue duplex plan, places drainage maintenance on lot owner
Summary
Committee members approved an amended planned-use site plan for three duplex lots at 104 South Lawn Avenue (Ordinance 623) and recommended sale of each duplex lot by individual owners; the owner of Lot 3 will be responsible for a drainage/utility easement on the west side of the site.
The Community Development committee on Tuesday approved an amended plan-use site plan for the “Enclaves at Lawn” development at 104 South Lawn Avenue and recommended the ordinance (No. 623) move forward to city council first reading.
Planning staff told the committee the site had previously been approved in 2022 as an MR-1P planned-use for eight two-family dwellings (16 doors). The developer, Tom McMillan, submitted a revised plan in November 2024 to build three duplex lots: two duplexes with direct access on South Lawn Avenue and one duplex on a lot with a private driveway. Because the revised plan removes the shared internal access aisle, the city changed its earlier staff recommendation and will allow individual ownership and sale of each duplex lot after construction.
The committee noted several conditions placed on the approval: required screening along the north and south property lines adjoining single-family homes, parkland dedication fees, compliance with landscaping and sign codes, and a requirement that the drainage and utility easement on the west side of the site remain on Lot 3 and be maintained by that lot owner rather than the city. Planning staff said that upkeep of the drainage area will be enforced through the city's code enforcement process if complaints or problems arise.
Committee members also required design consistency: the two new single-story duplexes must share visual and material qualities with the existing two-story duplex already constructed on the site.
The committee vote forwarded the amended planned use to the council for first reading. Roll-call on the committee motion was recorded as: Parchman: yes; Campbell: yes; Voorst: yes; Small: yes; Roach: yes; Albrecht: no. The item will be presented to city council for first reading on Feb. 3 and return to committee for a second reading on Feb. 10; final council action is scheduled for Feb. 18.
Residents at the meeting asked how maintenance obligations on the drainage area will be enforced and whether future buyers would be made aware of the easement responsibility; planning staff replied that maintenance obligations run with the property and would appear in title records and that code enforcement could address any future problems.
Votes and next steps: the committee approved the amended planned use and recommended sending Ordinance 623 to the Feb. 3 city council meeting for first reading.
