Doris Farms homeowners say subdivision runoff has flooded yards, garages for years

David Langster, a resident of 317 Patanen Drive, told the Board of Mayor and Aldermen on Nov. 25 that his house — at the edge of the Doris Farms subdivision — has experienced repeated flooding and property damage since site work began.

"We've been told by engineering people, State Harbor. We've talked to the city. We've talked to, the wire people...we are being passed around," Langster said. He said his yard and garage have taken water for about three years and that mud and clay remaining on the lot have left soil that "has nowhere for the water to go." Langster said landscaping he paid about $4,000 for two years earlier was washed away and that the flow has moved sheds and exposed rock beds under his foundation.

Langster said he and other neighbors first raised the problem with the city in February and have since been told the developer would fix it. "Nothing's ever done," he told the board. He said the recent work — a regraded road, a berm and a temporary trench — has not solved the ongoing runoff and that he worries future road restoration will repeat the damage.

City staff responded during the meeting that the period of active construction can create higher runoff because vegetative cover is removed and permanent stormwater systems are not yet completed. A staff speaker said the city has issued notices and that inspectors are visiting the site. The meeting record shows the city has an on-site inspector position; the board said Michael had left, Ashley Smith had just started as an inspector, and Isaiah supervises that team. The staff speaker said Isaiah or an inspections team member would follow up at Langster's address.

Langster said Servpro had cleaned some mud from his garage but that clay remains piled along yard edges and that water saturation under the house could cause unseen damage over time. He also said the neighborhood had not previously experienced repeated flooding until site clearing and grading began and that an earlier retention-pond plan has not routed water away from his lot.

City representatives explained that most retention ponds and the final stormwater system are installed near the end of a development project and that temporary construction ponds are intended to capture sediment rather than fully control runoff. Staff said contractors are required to maintain erosion-control buffers around drains and that an inspector checks sites daily; the new inspector and Isaiah were identified as the current contacts. Staff encouraged Langster to compile a list of visible damage for inspection and said the developer would be expected to respond to corrective requests.

The public comment exchange included questions about how often inspectors visit the site, what the contractor's timeline is for finishing stormwater infrastructure and whether the city will require removal of compacted clay that is preventing drainage. The record shows those operational details were discussed but that the meeting produced no new formal action or timeline beyond staff follow-up and inspection.

Langster said he and neighbors want a clear plan for remediation and asked what next steps exist beyond conversations with the developer and periodic cleanup. City staff acknowledged the concern and said they would have Isaiah or another inspections-team member visit the address and review the damage list that Langster compiles.

The board did not take a vote on the matter during the meeting; the discussion was recorded as public comment and staff follow-up.