Commission opens discussion on flag lots after resident and developer requests

The Planning Commission discussed whether Hooper should allow flag lots following requests from residents and presentations of neighboring ordinances.

Planning staff said current city code requires frontage on a fully improved public road and that the code does not explicitly authorize flag lots. Staff reviewed practices used by other cities (West Point, Plain City, West Haven), which generally allow flag lots only as conditional uses and then impose standards: paved stems (often 20–30 feet wide), landscaping buffers, required turnaround for fire access, a limitation on how many lots can share one stem (commonly one or two), and minimum lot-size multipliers (for example, 125–150 percent of the zone's minimum lot area for the flag portion). Several ordinances also required a fire hydrant within a specified distance for long stems.

A developer/resident who appeared said flag lots would enable property owners to sell and build on landlocked parcels without constructing a full public road; he argued the approach would be a pragmatic tool to allow building on existing family parcels. Another resident said flag lots would allow her to avoid evicting a long-term occupant while enabling future use of the back parcel.

Commissioners raised concerns about creating incentives to subdivide new developments into flag lots rather than requiring full public roads for new subdivisions. Staff recommended limiting flag lots to existing landlocked parcels and including clear engineering and public-safety requirements if the commission decides to allow them. Commissioners asked staff to consult with the fire department, public works and engineering, and with post office/addressing staff to resolve mailbox/addressing and turnaround concerns.

The commission asked staff to return with draft ordinance language if they can coordinate feedback from the fire chief and engineering; no code change was adopted at the meeting.