Resident presses council over emergency access and road stubs on West Center; planning commission report notes Third West approval

A resident raised concerns at the Jan. 23 Willard City Council meeting about emergency access and incomplete street stub-outs in the area around West Center Street, asking the council to enforce subdivision stub and emergency-easement requirements.

Diana Baker told the council she lives near the Dearden subdivision and said the developments emergency access would rely on a block of Center Street that is a substandard road. "For fire, it has to be a minimum of 20 feet," Baker said, and she expressed concern that the planned subdivision would create a one-way-in, one-way-out condition for additional houses. She asked why Third West is being required rather than using Fourth West, which she said is already stubbed in and "in process."

During staff and planning discussion, council and planning staff said road alignment and master-road-plan details differ between packet materials and online maps; staff said they would double-check and provide the master road plan used for approvals. Planning commission representative Ken reported the planning commission met Jan. 16, amended the subdivision ordinance and held a public hearing with no input, then discussed the JTJD (Dearden) subdivision and recommended Third West be approved as a main road and forwarded the subdivision to the council.

Council members and planning staff acknowledged the need for coordination between planning and council on future land-use and road planning, particularly since state law changes mean council will not see subdivisions after a rezone in some cases. Baker suggested reinstating "flag lots" or flag-access provisions if emergency egress is intended only for city and emergency access.

Quotes in this article are from public comment and the planning commission report at the Jan. 23 meeting.