Developer withdraws rezoning request for 414-acre Goodrich tract after neighbors raise flooding and access concerns

A developer withdrew a request to rezone roughly 414 acres from rural agricultural to RSF-3 (10,000-square-foot single-family lots) after residents highlighted recurring flooding, wetlands and a lack of guaranteed public access.

Planning staff presented the Goodrich property application, noting the three parcels total about 414 acres and that large portions are mapped as wetlands. Planning staff said the proposed RSF-3 designation is “somewhat consistent” with county review factors but not consistent with the county master plan’s future land-use designation for the site.

Multiple nearby homeowners and neighborhood representatives said water from Sibley Creek routinely floods streets and yards in adjacent subdivisions during heavy rains and that the creek and wetlands buffer much of the site. “Every time we have a heavy rain, the water is coming into my property and almost into my home,” resident Rita Ayers said, describing a pond on her property that has suffered saltwater intrusion and fish kills after storm tides.

Residents from Tanager and Audubon neighborhoods described chronic flooding that in at least one recent storm pushed water up to and over yards and cul-de-sacs. Brian Cochran, speaking for a neighborhood group, said the developer had not disclosed planned access points and that existing roads already experience heavy traffic near three schools. Other residents showed photos of flooded streets and mailboxes taken during storms.

The developer’s engineer, Dwayne Smith of Acre Engineering, acknowledged the site is “at least half impacted by wetlands” and said the intent was a mixed-size residential neighborhood with different lot sizes. Smith said any crossing of the creek “would require a significant bridge,” and he said access was currently planned through Alder on the Audubon side and Alder North on the Tanager side. Surveyor Seth Moore noted a mapping discrepancy affecting a 30-foot strip west of the lot discussed by a resident and said the county map should be corrected.

After public comment, a commissioner questioned whether it was appropriate to rezone land without established public access. The applicant indicated willingness to revise the proposal to RSF-2 (15,000-square-foot lots) but then asked to withdraw the application. The commission voted to accept the withdrawal; the chair declared the motion carried after a voice vote of “Aye.”

The transcript shows the withdrawal occurred after substantial public testimony about flood risk, wetlands, and the absence of known, recorded access roads. Commissioners noted county subdivision and stormwater regulations would apply to any future proposal but said those requirements could not substitute for determining whether a change of use is appropriate without defined access.

Action: the rezoning application (case Z25-40) was withdrawn at the applicant’s request and accepted by the commission. Any future application will require new filings and should include explicit access plans and engineering to address wetlands and flood risk.