Planning commission recommends comp‑plan change to allow residential development, contingent on temporary pump‑station policy

The Lincoln–Lancaster County Planning Commission on July 23 recommended approval of comprehensive plan amendment 25002, a request to change the growth‑tier and future land‑use designations for roughly 113 acres near S. 90th and Pine Lake Road to allow urban residential development. The commission's 8–0 vote forwards the proposal to the City Council, but staff said the change is conditional on adoption of a revised temporary pump‑station policy.

Planning department planner Andrew Therof described the requested amendments as “a comp plan amendment to our growth tier map and future land use map,” and said the site would move from Tier 1 Priority C and Tier 2 into Tier 1 Priority B. Therof said the site cannot be served by gravity sewer within the Tier‑1 timeline and would require a temporary pump station, and that LTU has “confirmed that this will not impact availability of sewer, water, or other infrastructure for any other areas” currently in the growth tier.

The applicant, Matadol LLC, represented by Deni Kalkowski, told commissioners the site already has paved roads, an adjacent water line and nearby services such as an elementary school and commercial center. Kalkowski said the developer understands the “comp plan amendments won't go forward unless we have the temporary pump station policy going with it” and said the developer would cover the cost of a temporary pump station under the draft policy.

Commissioners pressed staff on what compensating public benefits the policy would require; Therof said the forthcoming policy update would seek “compensating benefits” such as affordable units, a mix of housing types or conservation design features for projects that use temporary pump stations. Staff recommended conditional approval to allow the plan‑map changes but hold final action by City Council until the pump‑station policy is finalized.

The commission voted 8–0 to recommend approval. The matter now goes to the City Council; staff said the council vote will be contingent on the updated temporary pump‑station policy, which city staff and the applicant said should be released for public input soon.

The commission's action is a recommendation only; any development proposal that follows would require subsequent land‑use approvals and permitting, and the proposed use of a temporary pump station would be subject to the policy the council adopts.

Clarifying details recorded in the meeting: the amendment would affect approximately 113 acres overall with about 42 acres moved into the future service limit and reclassified from agricultural to urban residential; temporary pump stations are required because the site “cannot be served by gravity sewer within the Tier‑1 timeline”; LTU staff confirmed servicing the site would not reduce capacity available to other Tier‑1 areas; the draft pump‑station policy would require compensating public benefits and would keep developer payment of the pump‑station costs.

The Planning Commission vote was recorded as 8–0 in favor; the commission's recommendation will be forwarded to City Council for final action once the temporary pump‑station policy update is in place.