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Plan Commission approves 1127 Prairie Drive CSM split; commission waives short sidewalk requirement
Summary
On Sept. 17 the Mount Pleasant Plan Commission recommended approval of CSM 25-07 to divide 1127 Prairie Drive into four lots and approved conditions for cross-access, a public street lamp and street trees, but the commission agreed to waive the staff'recommended short sidewalk requirement for this site.
On Sept. 17 the Mount Pleasant Plan Commission recommended approval of CSM 25-07 to divide 1127 Prairie Drive into four lots and approved conditions for cross-access, a public street lamp and street trees, but the commission agreed to waive the staff'recommended short sidewalk requirement for this site.
Planning staff described the map as providing frontage and access to lots 3 and 4 via cross-access easements and recommended three conditions: (1) the subdivider construct a concrete sidewalk or asphalt path along their side of Prairie Drive, (2) install a public street lamp at the intersection of the public street and the commercial driveway, and (3) plant street trees at a rate of one per 50 feet of frontage (staff estimated this equals one or two trees for the parcel).
Public comment questioned the value of installing a standalone sidewalk that would not connect to existing sidewalks to the north or south. Sam and other staff explained the sidewalk requirement is triggered by the land division and is enforceable under village ordinance; staff noted possible funding approaches such as special assessments, tax-increment finance or an in-lieu program (which the village does not currently have for urban cross sections). Staff also said the public works director can require connection details and ADA ramps as needed.
Commissioners debated the sidewalk condition's practicality for this parcel, noting a short sidewalk with no connection can produce a 'sidewalk-to-nowhere' effect for which residents and the public works committee have expressed concern. Several commissioners supported an exception in this case and discussed creating a formal waiver-on-title process: a developer-level waiver recorded on title that would acknowledge future assessments and remove contested notice issues if an area-wide sidewalk assessment occurs later. The commission asked staff to explore such a policy for future cases.
A motion to approve CSM 25-07 subject to staff conditions but waiving the sidewalk requirement passed on the commission floor. Staff noted commercial-condo plats could be an alternate long-term solution to shared parking and cross-access issues at the site.
