Commission recommends council abandon portion of Shepherd's Way with three‑year cul‑de‑sac requirement and financial guarantee

The Planning Commission voted to recommend that city council pursue abandonment of a portion of Shepherd's Way at Central Baptist Church’s campus, conditioned on the church constructing a cul‑de‑sac within three years of the council’s third reading and providing a financial guarantee to cover any road maintenance or damage during construction.

Planning staff presented a master plan prepared with the church showing expanded parking and a cul‑de‑sac at the city‑maintained end of Shepherd's Way. Staff reported traffic counts included in the packet: average daily traffic of 389 vehicles on the Dunbar Lane side and over 1,000 vehicles on the Highway 127 side, with peak days noted as Wednesday and Sunday when church activity is highest. Staff said the proposal is feasible if the cul‑de‑sac is constructed and suggested including contract language that would rescind the abandonment ordinance if the cul‑de‑sac is not completed within three years.

Staff recommended the commission forward the matter to council with contingencies: (1) construction of the cul‑de‑sac within three years of the third reading, and (2) a financial guarantee provided by the church to cover maintenance or repairs to the existing roadway during construction. The commission voted by voice to recommend the ordinance language and contingencies to council. A staff member noted some adjacent property owners support the closure because it would convert the road section to a dead end and reduce cut‑through traffic.