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Planning commission debates Master Plan Community zone details, tables appraisal questions; tables action to next year
Summary
Commissioners discussed clarifying the Master Plan Community zone (acreage threshold, appraisal method for open-space buyouts, developer submittal requirements) and left the item for further refinement next year after concerns about appraisal method and the level of required engineering were raised.
The Willard City Planning Commission spent an extended portion of its Dec. 5 meeting discussing proposed amendments to the Master Plan Community (MPC) zone, focusing on the minimum acreage threshold and how the city should value open space when developers choose to pay cash in lieu.
Commissioners debated whether the MPC minimum should be 10 or 20 acres (several members favored changing the text to 20 acres) and questioned how an appraised buyout for required open space should be determined. One commissioner suggested a developer-provided appraisal subject to city selection of a third-party appraiser; another raised the mayor’s concern that appraisals should consider the value of the entire development, not only the open-space parcel in isolation. As an unidentified speaker summarized, “so the whole point is that they're taking away the free land to develop it,” stressing the need for a fair valuation method if land is purchased for public open space.
Commissioners also discussed whether the planning commission should require a fully engineered site plan at the time of MPC review or accept a phased preliminary submission, balancing developer cost against the commission’s desire to avoid surprises at the city council stage. Several commissioners said they prefer to see detailed site plans (colors, elevations, engineered drawings) to ensure the planning commission's review is substantive and that the city council will not return applications for missing information.
No formal ordinance change was adopted at the meeting; commissioners asked staff to revise the draft (clarify acreage threshold wording, define appraisal process and appraiser selection, and refine the site-plan submission standards). The item was tabled for additional work and follow-up next year.
