Saint Cloud council delays Walker Property plan, seeks options on disputed 10-foot trail

The City Council of Saint Cloud refrained from approving the preliminary subdivision plan for the Walker Property on Jan. 15 after staff warned the plan omits a 10-foot multipurpose trail explicitly required by the project's PUD.

Melissa Dunklin, the city's director of community development, told the council the submitted preliminary subdivision plan does not depict the 10-foot trail along Chisholm Park Trail to Narcoossee Road required by the previously approved PUD and recommended denial because the plan “does not follow the development standards as set forth in the approved planned unit development preliminary final master plan.”

Joe Thacker, representing the developer, said the applicant has included most trail connections in the neighborhood plan and argued the specific 10-foot segment would cause tree removal, mailbox and utility relocation and likely trigger a South Florida Water Management District permit because “anything greater than 8 feet would require that.” He said the developer is willing to work with staff, provide engineering sections and, if necessary, amend the PUD or deposit into a sidewalk/escrow fund to allow the city to construct the segment later.

Deputy Mayor Gilbert and other council members emphasized the long-range value of trail connectivity, noting the route’s potential to tie into a regional Lake-to-Lake/eco‑tourism corridor. City public-works staff told the council they had asked the applicant for cross sections and stormwater details and that more information is necessary to estimate cost and permitting needs.

The city attorney outlined two principal ways forward: require the developer to build the trail as written in the PUD, or amend the PUD to remove that piece of the trail and allow the developer to deposit funds with the city for future construction. The council directed staff and the applicant to produce two options — (A) provide construction-level cross sections, a survey and a hard cost estimate to demonstrate whether a 10-foot trail can be built in the existing right-of-way and (B) prepare a PUD amendment and, if chosen, a mechanism for a deposit/escrow amount — and to return to the council for consideration at a future meeting.

Council members did not vote to approve the PSP and agreed that the applicant should return with the requested materials; the council indicated a February meeting as the target for the follow-up. The city attorney also noted that, under current PUD language, if the city does not acquire any additional right-of-way the trail may not be buildable and that an amendment would be required to change the obligation.

Next steps: staff will work with the applicant to produce engineering cross sections and cost estimates and present either supporting materials that allow the council to require the trail as written or a PUD amendment and escrow proposal for the council’s review.