Richland hearing on Villages at Clearwater Creek focuses on 5‑foot rear‑yard setback deviation; staff recommends denial

Hearing Examiner Gary McLean on Tuesday presided over an open‑record public hearing on the Villages at Clearwater Creek, a proposed 63‑lot subdivision on roughly 10.4 acres at 2725 Steptoe Street. City planning staff told the examiner the plat otherwise meets the city’s R2S zoning and infrastructure standards but recommended denying a requested rear‑yard setback deviation for 38 lots.

Mike Stevens, the city’s planning manager, said the application proposes lots ranging from about 4,000 to just over 10,000 square feet and that public works and fire had raised no substantive concerns about utilities or access. “The analysis and criteria for granting approval all seem to be met for the preliminary plat itself,” Stevens said, but he added the staff recommendation is denial of the setback deviation because on “bare…