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Planning and Zoning commission recommends approval of Trossachs final plat with condition that street lights be installed
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Summary
The Planning and Zoning Commission on Nov. 19 recommended the city council approve the Trossachs final plat, contingent on installation of required street lights; a Rathdrum resident used public comment to challenge staff guidance about traffic and water studies and the timing of meeting minutes.
The Planning and Zoning Commission recommended on Nov. 19 that the city council approve the final plat for the Trossachs subdivision, subject to completion of outstanding items including installation of street lights, planning staff said.
Planning staff told the commission that Trossachs is the renamed portion of a previously approved preliminary plat (Brookshire South/Hollis Woods) and that a final plat is a ministerial step confirming the developer met conditions set at earlier stages. Staff recommended that final approval be conditioned on utility-installed street lights being in place before the plat is recorded.
"A final plat is the very last step in the land use process for a subdivision," planning staff said, explaining that required certificates, a title report and warranties must be in place and that the only missing item in the submitted plat was street lights. Staff noted the lights are installed by the local electric utility (Avista or Kootenay Electric) and said the city will request the council include the installation condition when the matter goes to council on Dec. 10.
Commissioners moved to recommend approval to city council with findings of fact and a condition that the public works director not sign or authorize the final plat until listed items are completed; the motion was seconded and approved by the commission.
During public comment, resident Stacy O'Connell of Rathdrum criticized how staff answered commissioners' questions in prior meetings. O'Connell said commissioners had asked at a Sept. 17 Planning & Zoning meeting whether they could request a traffic study and a water study and that staff had replied such studies were "not required." O'Connell said that staff's answer implied commissioners could not ask for those studies and added, "They never said you could not ask for a traffic and water study." She also urged commissioners to review the Oct. 15 P&Z public-hearing record and said those minutes had not been available at the Nov. 12 city council meeting.
The chair reminded members of the public-comment rules and said comments about individual city employees should be directed to the mayor. The meeting adjourned after commissioners moved and voted to close the session.
The commission's recommendation will go to the city council for final action on Dec. 10. The commission postponed approval of the Oct. 15 meeting minutes so staff can verify an apparent discrepancy in a reported occupancy year before the minutes are finalized and posted.
