Planning commission approves rezoning, land-use change for Pickard Estates

The Indianola Planning Commission on March 11 approved a rezoning and a future land use map amendment to allow the Pickard Estates residential development on about 18.33 acres south of Highway 92 and east of South 15th Street.

City planning staff told the commission the property is currently zoned A-1 (agricultural and open space) and that the applicant, Itown Investment Group LLC, represented by Eric Cannon of Snyder and Associates, is proposing a mix of single-family and attached housing. "The concept plan identifies 35 single-family lots and then 22 row home lots," the city planning staff said. Staff recommended approval of both the rezoning request and the comprehensive plan amendment to change the future land use designation from community mixed use to a residential designation consistent with the proposal.

The commission’s discussion centered on site access, stormwater management and how the Iowa Department of Transportation’s corridor policies could affect future access. The plan shows two access points: a shared entrance with Pickard Commerce Park and a secondary access aligned with storage units across the street, both subject to IDOT review. "We'll do a traffic impact letter to start the process with DOT," a city staff member said; DOT could require a full traffic study or an entrance permit depending on the letter's findings.

Applicant representative Eric Cannon said the southern part of the parcel contains a deep ravine and wooded area and that he does not intend to provide a southern connection through that portion of the site. "I do fully anticipate the need to make a connection to the south," Cannon said, but added that the south end of the property’s topography and woods make a through-connection impractical. An engineer for the applicant added the developments in the area discharge stormwater to the same creek and that a detention basin is proposed on the south side of the Pickard Estates site.

Commission members raised concerns about traffic conditions near Pickard Park, particularly during events such as "balloon days" and weekend sports tournaments, and asked whether future corridor-wide changes by the Iowa DOT could require rework of newly built roadway access. City staff said the DOT’s corridor review is ongoing and that DOT’s primary technical criterion for spacing of access points is 600 feet; staff said any required changes would be addressed as applications move through preliminary plat and construction-plan reviews.

The commission approved the rezoning and comprehensive plan amendment by voice vote. A motion to "approve as submitted" was made and seconded; commissioners recorded affirmative votes and the motion passed.

Next steps for the project will include a preliminary plat, stormwater plans and construction drawings; those submittals will trigger detailed review of access and stormwater controls and any formal DOT permitting required for entrances on the state highway corridor.