Neighbors press city on Seal Road access, wetlands and sewer during 28‑lot preliminary plat hearing

A proposal for a 28‑lot plan development subdivision near the northwest portion of St. Helens prompted extended testimony from neighbors and lengthy deliberations about emergency access, wetlands, trees and sewer capacity.

Staff described the largely forested, partly wetland property and said the application uses an existing plan development overlay to allow smaller lots and flexible standards. The planner noted an on‑site wetlands delineation and said wetlands on the site were considered "not significant" by the Department of State Lands for the purposes of the staff report, but that state or federal permits would still be required for any wetland impacts. The staff report also cited a tree inventory for the site and described the city’s replacement rules for trees with diameter at breast height (DBH) greater than 12 inches.

Chad Davis Construction (represented by Daryl Smith) and Pioneer Design Group (Wayne Hayson, project engineer William Doster) presented the preliminary plat. The applicant proposed two open‑space tracts to retain the wetland complex and a…