Commission tables Ridge West preliminary plat after extended discussion on access, parks and utilities

The Mills Planning and Zoning Commission voted to table the preliminary plat for the Ridge West addition (case 25O1PSP), an application to subdivide roughly 27 acres into 86 single-family lots, after lengthy discussion about traffic, utilities, parkland and school access.

Megan, planning staff, described the proposal as a preliminary plat for Lot 3 of Charter Heights (marketed as Ridge West addition) on the west side of Robertson Road, just south of Wyoming Classical Academy. The applicant is Greenbrier Properties and the agent present for questions was Sean Gustafson of ECS Engineers. Staff said the property is currently zoned UA (Urban Agriculture) and that a rezoning to R-1 (single-family residential) is expected in conjunction with final plat filings.

Staff listed information needed before final plat review: a traffic-impact study (or coordination with the Casper MPO Robertson Road corridor study), a preliminary drainage study and infrastructure narratives, finalized road names, clarity about tract ownership and HOA documents (including a mailbox tract), site plans showing buildable areas for specific lots, and cosmetic plat corrections. Staff also noted this would be the city’s first use of a fee-in-lieu of park dedication in this subdivision: $150 per single-family residence, which staff calculated as $12,900 payable at final plat.

Commissioners pressed several substantive issues. They asked whether the Robertson Road right-of-way (shown as 80 feet in the plat) would accommodate possible widening, and whether the MPO traffic study had incorporated the new school. Sean Gustafson and other participants said Robertson Road’s 80-foot right-of-way can accommodate a collector street and that the developer will coordinate with the MPO; however, staff did not have the MPO study data available that night. Commissioners also raised concerns about existing utility easements: powerlines along the west side of Robertson Road, a diagonal Black Hills Energy gas feed crossing the parcel, and a 24-inch underground irrigation pipeline (Casper irrigation) routed through several lots. Staff and the agent said those easements constrain buildable areas and require careful lot design.

A recurring concern from multiple commissioners was emergency and secondary access for Wyoming Classical Academy. Commissioners noted the school currently has only one primary access and argued that this subdivision provides the only opportunity to create a secondary access or emergency egress that could be used if the main intersection were blocked. Planning staff and the applicant acknowledged emergency access points are shown on the plat (20-foot emergency-access corridors), and staff suggested widening some emergency accesses to 30 feet to better meet fire-access needs; the commission asked the applicant to pursue coordination with the school and landowner(s) on access alignment.

Commissioners also discussed parks and pedestrian safety. Staff described the staff-recommended fee in lieu ($150 per lot) but said the LDRs allow the commission to recommend dedication of land for a neighborhood park. Several commissioners urged the applicant to consider converting the proposed detention tract (Track A) into a shared detention/park area or to negotiate with the Wyoming Classical Academy or landowner(s) to secure a park tract closer to the new homes. Commissioners emphasized pedestrian and child-safety concerns because the nearest park is on the opposite side of Robertson Road and sidewalks do not currently extend to the school.

After the discussion, a commissioner moved to table the preliminary plat until the applicant submitted additional information and addressed the access, drainage, traffic and parkland issues; the motion was seconded and approved by voice vote. The transcript does not record individual roll-call votes by name.

Items commissioners asked the applicant to provide with the next submittal included: a traffic-impact study or documentation of coordination with the MPO; a preliminary drainage and grading plan; proposed road names; HOA/ownership documents for tract and mailbox tract; buildable-area site plans for constrained lots; and confirmation of water/fire-flow capacity from public works or city engineering. Staff indicated it will request a city engineer or public-works representative at the next review to address water-supply and fire-flow capacity questions.

The commission stressed that any contractual conditions that would bind a developer or property owner should be prepared by the city attorney and that planning minutes and associated conditions need to be available to city council in a timely manner so council can review them in subsequent approvals.