Milton commission asks staff to review drainage, tree‑canopy and screening before Little River Farms Phase 2 moves forward

The Milton Planning Commission on Oct. 22 recommended that the City of Milton community development director review drainage, tree‑canopy feasibility and other site constraints before advancing a preliminary plat for Little River Farms Phase 2, a proposed 10‑lot subdivision on 16.6 acres at the end of Blackberry Ridge Trail.

The recommendation followed a staff presentation, a detailed presentation by the applicant’s engineer and about a dozen public commenters who live adjacent to the site. The commission’s formal motion asked staff to vet hydrology and stormwater plans, confirm whether the proposed layout can meet the city’s 57% tree‑canopy requirement for AG‑1 zoning, explore additional evergreen screening along the north property line and consider the potential effect of pending code updates in the city’s review.

Robin McDonald, the city’s zoning manager, told commissioners the parcel is zoned AG‑1, lies within the rural Milton overlay and includes stream buffers and a floodplain along the Little River. McDonald said the preliminary plat shows 10 single‑family lots ranging from about 1.2 to 2.3 acres, a separate lot for a stormwater facility and that the preliminary plans “meet the regulations of the Unified Development Code” as submitted. She also noted a level‑3 soil survey had been preliminarily reviewed by the…