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Council approves PUDR rezoning for 134‑unit townhome project with conditions on walls and stormwater follow‑up
Summary
Council approved a PUD residential rezoning for a 134‑unit townhome project at Washington Parkway and Tortoise Rock, adding a condition that block/privacy walls be placed along major public frontages and directing staff and the applicant to work on possible consolidation of small on‑site detention ponds with the adjacent regional basin.
Council approved a zone change (Z‑25‑23) Dec. 10 to allow a 134‑unit PUD residential (PUDR) townhome development at Washington Parkway and Tortoise Rock Road after a detailed staff presentation and extended applicant Q&A.
Staff described the proposal: two‑story townhome units with two‑car garages, a total required parking count of 344 spaces (the applicant proposes 364), and amenities including a clubhouse, pool and pickleball courts. Planning Commission had unanimously recommended approval with the staff findings and conditions.
Key council concerns focused on edges and stormwater. Several council members asked for consistent block/privacy walls along public rights‑of‑way (Tortoise Rock, the new eastern public road and along the detention basin) to preserve backyard privacy and visual buffering. Applicant Bob Hermanson said the project will include a 15‑foot landscaped strip (10‑foot trail plus 5 feet), a continuous 6‑foot privacy wall around the project where the public trail abuts private yards, and limited common areas for backyards. That design element was captured as a condition by the council.
Council also questioned the proliferation of small on‑site detention basins and asked staff and the applicant to examine combining certain small basins (Basin 3 and adjacent basins) with the existing regional detention basin that sits under an easement on state trust lands. The applicant indicated he had already considered the option, that unit count and density would not change, and that combining basins could create better usable open space; staff and the applicant agreed to continue technical work on hydrology and maintenance/ownership (city easement vs. HOA vs. city acquisition) and report back.
The ordinance passed by roll call with the conditions noted in the record (including block walls along main public roadways and further work on stormwater consolidation and landscaping responsibility).
