McCall council remands Juniper Muir subdivision after safety and access concerns

The McCall City Council remanded the preliminary plat for the Spring Mountain Ranch/Juniper Muir subdivision back to the McCall Area Planning & Zoning Commission on Sept. 25, directing staff and the applicants to revise the proposal to eliminate a central driveway onto Woolley Avenue and consider a four‑lot design.

The hearing focused on safety and access: neighbors and council members raised concerns about vehicle sight lines and winter conditions where a proposed driveway would intersect Woolley. Multiple residents and the city engineer described how long, narrow private driveways would affect driver behavior and emergency access, and several council members said removing the middle Woolley driveway would improve safety.

Meredith Todd, City Planner and Sustainability Planner, summarized outstanding issues from the commission’s August review and said the applicants had submitted an updated site plan that included a conceptual natural‑surface pathway along the property’s southern frontage and draft CC&Rs addressing snow removal, driveway turnarounds and short‑term rentals. Todd noted staff’s preference that new pathways be dedicated for public use but acknowledged applicants’ concerns about liability and maintenance if a path were public.

Co‑applicant Jillian Hill described the applicants’ design and proposed CC&R obligations, saying the team planned to live on two of the five proposed lots and sell the remainder to fund construction. Hill proposed CCR language requiring homeowners to clear the full width of driveway approaches to maintain sight lines, to build turnarounds so vehicles can exit forward, and to post signage discouraging reversing out onto Woolley: “We would be more than happy to add to the CC&Rs that signage requirements would be added,” she said.

Project engineer Greg Tankersley of Crestline Engineers answered technical questions about driveway lengths and layouts. He said the proposed driveways are 16 feet wide and reported approximate driveway lengths as Lot 1 — 120 feet, Lot 2 (shared with Lot 1) — 370 feet, Lot 3 — 130 feet, and Lot 4 (shared with Lot 3) — 90 feet. Tankersley said long driveways commonly prompt homeowners to turn around on their property and exit facing forward.

Several council members stressed that the principal safety concern was the proposed driveway in the middle of the Woolley Avenue curve. After extended questioning and public comment — including a written submission urging preservation of the parcel’s trees and topography — council members signaled support for a revision that would remove the middle Woolley access. The applicants indicated they were open to reducing the subdivision to four lots to avoid that access.

Council adopted a motion remanding the preliminary plat back to Planning & Zoning with direction to include the revisions discussed during the meeting; staff said that if the applicants resubmitted as a four‑lot record of survey the item could be handled at the Planning & Zoning level without a further council public hearing. The motion passed by roll call vote (unanimous). The council asked staff and the developer to work quickly to produce any revised materials.

What’s next: Planning staff will review revisions and advise whether the application can proceed as a record of survey (four lots) or requires a new preliminary plat review. The council flagged tree‑protection measures, pedestrian connectivity options and CCR language as items to carry forward into the revised submission.