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Commission approves preliminary plat for Pickard Estates; developer requests waiver for street-jog standard
Summary
The commission recommended approval of a preliminary plat for Pickard Estates, an 18-acre residential project with 22 townhome units and 35 single-family lots, subject to staff comments and a waiver request that reduces two required street-jog spacings from 300 feet to roughly 140–150 feet.
The Planning and Zoning Commission voted Sept. 23 to recommend approval of a preliminary plat for Pickard Estates, a residential subdivision of just over 18 acres south of Highway 92 and east of South 15th Street that proposes 22 townhome units and 35 single-family lots.
City planning staff said the developer, ITown Investment Group LLC represented by Jason Ludden, submitted a plat that includes a 2.02-acre outlot (Outlot X) intended for stormwater detention and several street lots to be deeded to the city for public rights-of-way. Townhome lot sizes range from 2,952 to 3,096 square feet; single-family lots range from about 9,100 to 21,103 square feet. Staff recommended approval subject to remaining staff comments.
Staff and the applicant asked the commission to grant a waiver to the subdivision ordinance’s street-jog spacing requirement. The ordinance normally requires 300-foot spacing for certain jogs; the applicant requested approximately 140–150 feet at two locations to make the lot layout workable without access to Highway 92. “The developer is asking for a council waiver on part of the subdivision ordinance, which ties the street jogs,” a planning staff member said, explaining the layout rationale. The staff member and engineer said the shorter jogs were necessary because the state (IDOT) had denied access to South 18th Street pending a corridor study.
Engineer Eric Cannon said IDOT “is not gonna grant an access permit at this location” while it completes a corridor study and that the city and DOT continue to work on an access-management plan. Cannon and staff said they had coordinated with fire, public works and other departments on emergency access and did not expect life-safety issues from the proposed jog reductions.
The commission also discussed stormwater detention. Staff said the stormwater basin would be owned and maintained by the association and that the design could help reduce peak flows that have previously damaged trails and culverts at nearby Pickard Park. A commissioner urged staff to work with the city’s Doug Bylund on detention design to protect downstream park infrastructure.
After discussion, the commission approved the preliminary plat with recorded unanimous support; staff will follow up on remaining comments and the applicant will return materials for review.
