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Washington County planning board approves Ellis Estates subdivision despite neighbors' water, septic and traffic concerns
Summary
The Washington County planning board approved the preliminary plat for Ellis Estates, a 55-lot subdivision designed to city standards, after hearing residents warn of septic failures, limited water supply and traffic impacts; the vote passed 4-2 with one member absent.
The Washington County planning board voted to approve the preliminary plat for Ellis Estates, a 55-lot subdivision designed to Fayetteville standards, after hearing more than an hour of public comment raising concerns about septic reliability, limited water supply and local traffic.
Nearby resident Deanna Drake told the board the area's sandy-loam soils have caused septic failures and persistent odors at other developments and questioned whether existing water infrastructure can support the new subdivision. "If you can't distribute water to us properly, then how are you gonna do it to 57 more houses?" Drake said, noting her neighborhood recently received city notices to conserve water.
Buffington Homes representatives and their engineer said the project does not rely on individual septic tanks for each lot. Mary McGatrick of Buffington Homes said the subdivision will use…
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