Commission defers Spring Hill Farm special‑use amendment after neighbors, applicant and staff seek refinements to conservation and access conditions

The Planning Commission heard a public hearing March 25 on SP 2020-424, an amendment to a long‑standing 1981 special‑use permit for Spring Hill Farm. The application proposes up to six additional large rural lots (minimum 21‑acre lots as carried forward from the earlier approvals) and maps conservation areas on the residue.

Staff presentation and concerns: Planning staff summarized the complex zoning history: the property originally carried rights to create up to 33 lots, some were platted decades ago and two lots were created under a 2022 special‑use amendment. The current proposal seeks to use the remaining six lot rights from the original approval. Staff supported the concept of conserving much of the property but recommended denial pending more detail and clarification. Staff’s specific concerns included: the long length of proposed driveways and multiple access points where the plan showed driveways crossing steep slopes and stream buffers; the plan’s mapping of conservation areas and whether those areas…