Commission recommends plat for Parcel GG in Waverly Industrial Plaza; developer to relocate irrigation line, avoid wetlands

The Waverly Planning and Zoning Commission recommended on July 3 that the City Council accept a plat of survey for Parcel GG in the Waverly Industrial Plaza, a parcel created in part by the pending vacation of a portion of Sixteenth Avenue Southwest.

City planning staff told commissioners that the city and Prime Development have been negotiating the project for some time and that the purchase agreement and public hearings on the street vacation are already underway. Staff said Parcel GG will combine the vacated portion of Sixteenth Avenue Southwest with a city-owned area north of the municipal pond so Prime Development can shift proposed development west to remain out of the wetland area.

Staff also reported an irrigation line running north–south from the pond to the golf course lies within the area; Prime Development will move that line at its expense and grant an easement to the city for relocated infrastructure. The staff memo provided to the commission did not include the purchase agreement in the meeting packet, the planner said.

Commissioners queried whether the parcel boundaries would ultimately include land up to the wetland edge; staff replied a future platting will combine the pieces as one parcel and that an overlay showing the defined wetland boundary will be provided when available. The planner also said the Iowa Department of Natural Resources and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers have advised the developer that wetland areas cannot be disturbed, so the developer is proposing to shift building areas westward onto the parcel under review.

Commissioners discussed access and vehicle turnarounds where the vacated portion of Sixteenth Avenue Southwest will become a private drive; staff noted existing hammerhead features and that the drive appears paved in aerial imagery. The commission voted by voice to recommend approval; the chair declared the motion passed with no opposition.

The matter now moves to City Council for final action. Staff identified follow-up items for future submittals, including a site overlay showing the wetland delineation and documentation of the irrigation-line relocation and easement.