Planning Commission tables sidewalk-waiver request for 5823 North Perkins Road

The Stillwater Planning Commission on Oct. 7 voted to table a special-exception request that would waive city sidewalk requirements for a proposed single-family residence at 5823 North Perkins Road.

Staff from Development Services described the request as an application under the city's land development code to relieve sidewalk requirements for an unplatted tract larger than 2.5 acres. Henry Wilheimer, Development Services, said the property is currently vacant, just east of Perkins about a quarter-mile south of Burris, and that the request would apply to the single-family building permit under review.

Commissioners pressed staff on whether the waiver would be permanent, whether it applied to the parcel regardless of future ownership, and what would happen if the lot were later subdivided or converted to a different use. Wilheimer said the code allows the commission to waive subdivision requirements for single-family residences on unplatted tracts larger than 2.5 acres if denial would cause hardship or inequity, and that the lot in question is approximately 10 acres. He said the waiver, as discussed, would apply to the current development permit for the single-family house but that subsequent lot splits, new streets, or changes to commercial development could change sidewalk obligations and would likely require additional review or new exceptions.

Commissioners noted there is sidewalk on the west side of Perkins but no nearby crosswalk, and some said a sidewalk at this isolated location could become a "sidewalk to nowhere." Given remaining uncertainty about whether the waiver would carry forward if the parcel were split, if the use changed, or how internal streets would affect frontage requirements, Chair Janet Phillips moved to table the item so staff could research the questions and return at the Oct. 21 meeting. The motion passed 4-0.

The commission asked staff to clarify whether any waiver would be tied to ownership, to the current single-family use, to the zoning, and what sidewalk requirements would apply if the 10-acre parcel were subdivided into multiple residential lots or redeveloped for commercial use. Staff will return with those clarifications at the commission's next meeting.

Details: the parcel discussed is approximately 10 acres; code language cited by staff applies to single-family residences on unplatted tracts larger than 2.5 acres; the commission tabled the request to Oct. 21 for further research.