Preliminary plan for 91‑parcel Linden Drive subdivision advances in staff review; commissioners focus on traffic calming and sidewalks

Greenway Engineering sought preliminary major‑subdivision approval for 91 parcels at 441 Linden Drive, the residential component of the Linden Drive planned‑unit development (PUD) the City Council approved in 2020 and reapproved in 2022. Planning staff said the preliminary plat and the companion site plan are under review and that the submission generally meets the city’s major‑subdivision requirements, subject to minor modifications.

Staff described the proposed layout as including 62 townhome lots (primarily along Leatherwood Avenue), centrally located condominium parcels designed for stacked “two‑over‑two” units, single‑family lots facing Linden Drive, new public and private streets, and provision for a city park. The developer is responsible for constructing a roundabout at the north end of the public street where Linden Drive curves onto Caroline Street; the active‑adult phase of the PUD will also build a roundabout so the intersection ultimately will contain traffic‑calming elements. Staff also noted a proposed underground stormwater detention facility located within the park parcel; staff said the city prefers that stormwater facilities not be located inside park boundaries if maintenance would fall to a homeowners association, and that the park’s 2.29‑acre area may be reduced to accommodate infrastructure outside the park boundary.

Staff said some plat edits are needed to remove narrow remnant strips between lots, to provide a larger turnaround (hammerhead) or other means for refuse and emergency vehicles at a dead‑end public street, and to minimize encroachment into the proposed city park. Commissioners discussed access to rear yards for townhomes, the possibility of shared maintenance easements to allow backyard access, and options for reducing corner radii to slow vehicular speeds. One commissioner recommended studying narrower street sections or reduced on‑street parking to create more spacing between units.

Commissioners and staff also discussed pedestrian access: staff said sidewalk extensions are planned in connection with the active‑adult phase and hospital frontage improvements, but that older adjacent subdivisions lack sidewalks and gaps remain on Linden Drive. Multiple commissioners urged extending continuous sidewalks to Amherst Street and considering a crosswalk near a future Persimmon Street connection. Commissioners asked about environmental remediation; staff said the Department identified and removed arsenic‑contaminated soil with state sign‑off.

Staff told the commission this work session served as the public hearing stage and that final plats and site‑plan details will return for action: the planning commission will decide on the preliminary subdivision and will forward a recommendation on the final plat to City Council or, where authorized, to staff for administrative approval. No final vote was taken at the work session; staff will return with updated plat edits and engineering clarifications.