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Commission recommends Riverview Villages land‑use amendment; PUD and preliminary plat continued for more review
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Summary
The commission voted unanimously to recommend a 2040 land‑use map amendment to allow the Riverview Villages mixed‑use development and will continue the related PUD rezoning and preliminary plat to Dec. 15 to let commissioners and councilors review the many code variances and technical plans.
The New Castle Planning and Zoning Commission on Nov. 27 recommended that City Council approve an amendment to the 2040 future land‑use map to allow Riverview Villages — a proposed mixed‑use planned unit development — to proceed to the rezoning stage. Commissioners also voted to continue the related PUD and preliminary‑plat items to the Dec. 15 planning commission meeting to allow additional review of numerous PUD variances and engineering details.
Janine Greenlee of the New Castle Planning Department introduced the application as a land‑use amendment from general commercial to mixed‑use residential and commercial and a request to rezone to a new PUD (R‑2025‑005) for R & R Land Development LLC / Bell Investments. The site is roughly 77.33 acres near NW 32nd Street and Riverfront Drive west of the I‑44/Highway 37 interchange.
Austin Tennell, representing Building Culture for the developer, presented the project vision: a new‑urbanism‑style neighborhood with a mix of housing types and a village center. Tennell said the preliminary concept includes 226 village single‑family lots (minimum 3,000 sq ft), 10 multifamily lots and 20 village‑center commercial‑residential lots; overall density for certain portions was described as about 3.3 lots per acre, rising to an estimated 4.7–4.8 units per acre when multifamily is included. The PUD documents list numerous planned variations from the city’s subdivision code: reduced local road width from 26 to 20 feet, right‑of‑way reductions to 45 feet, 0‑lot‑line front setbacks, altered radii, and other modifications collected in Section 6 of the PUD (development and subdivision variations). The PUD’s architectural guidance requires 40% masonry in building materials and delegates architectural review to an ARB set up by the developer and property owners association.
Commissioners probed technical issues: parking counts (the PUD uses 1 space per dwelling plus 1 per 200 sq ft commercial), whether on‑street or off‑street parking could impede emergency access, how parking will be enforced, and whether the ARB and PUD language provide durable, enforceable design standards. Staff and the applicant said traffic and a preliminary traffic analysis were done for key intersections, that a preliminary lift‑station and sewer design has been sized to serve the development, and that drainage and fire‑access requirements would be met in subsequent engineering reviews.
Several commissioners and a city representative asked for more time to digest the PUD’s many variances and the preliminary plat exhibits. One commissioner said the packet had been available only three days and requested the PUD materials be distributed to councilors as well because council will make the final decision. The applicant and staff agreed to provide materials and schedule meetings to address questions before Dec. 15.
A motion to recommend approval of the 2040 land‑use amendment (Item 9) to City Council passed unanimously. Separate motions to continue the PUD rezoning and the preliminary plat (Items 10 and 11) to the Dec. 15 commission meeting were made and carried unanimously so staff and the applicant could resolve outstanding technical questions.
Next steps: the commission’s recommendation for the land‑use amendment will go to City Council; the PUD rezoning and preliminary plat return to the Planning Commission on Dec. 15 after additional review and coordination between the applicant, staff and council members.
