Redmond planning commission backs High Desert Ranch PUD with conditions, urges alternate trail alignment

The Redmond Urban Area Planning Commission voted Wednesday to recommend approval of the High Desert Ranch plan unit development, a proposed annexation, tentative subdivision and conditional-use permit for about 42 acres at 3220 Northwest Way that would create 194 residential lots and a network of open space and multiuse paths.

Kyle Roberts, Redmond’s planning director, told commissioners the application meets the city’s standards or can meet them under recommended conditions and highlighted three deviation requests: reduced minimum lot sizes for much of the R3-designated single-family area (the median lot size on the plan is about 4,500 square feet, compared with the R3 standard of 7,500), narrower street frontage for roughly 110 of the single-family lots (about 40 feet versus the 50-foot standard), and reduced intersection spacing on the proposed extension of Northwest Pershall Way (one proposed segment is about 860 feet, under the city’s roughly 1,320-foot arterial spacing requirement).

Roberts also summarized benefits the applicant offers in exchange for deviations: a mix of housing types that staff says aligns with the city’s housing needs analysis, about 66,000 square feet of usable open space shown on plan sheets (roughly three times the minimum open-space requirement for a development this size, excluding non-developable canyon land), multimodal connections, and proposed safety and intersection mitigation measures including a $146,000 cash contribution for off-site intersection improvements and right-of-way dedication for a future roundabout at Northwest Pershall Way and Northwest Way.

Joey Shearer, a planner with AKS Engineering representing applicant Lennar Northwest, said the project team adjusted designs after continuances, committed to widening alleys to a 20-foot improved surface, and proposed a minimum driveway length of 18–20 feet to reduce on-alley parking. Shearer acknowledged the site constraints that push density onto the developable flanks of the property, and said the developer intends to construct the pedestrian connection required by the city’s Transportation System Plan (TSP) or propose an alternative alignment that would meet the same access objective.

Residents who live adjacent to the project urged changes or rejected particular design elements during the public-comment period. Matthew Adelago, a Dry Canyon North homeowner, urged the commission to remove what he described as a 336-foot-long alley “walled in by 6-foot residential fencing,” calling it “an unsafe design” and warning it would create blind spots and encourage loitering or vandalism. Several residents raised similar concerns about privacy, canyon-edge lot sizes and traffic impacts at the Pershall/Northwest Way curve.

Applicant and staff responses: Shearer said the pedestrian access easement established with the adjacent Dry Canyon approval requires a trail connection and that the applicant is prepared to build that connection; traffic consultant Joe Bestman said his team’s design work and coordination with city engineering aim to improve sight lines and vehicle transitions at the critical intersection, including tree removal where necessary, a three-lane transition and signage. Assistant City Engineer Lindsey Cromside explained the infrastructure allocation analysis shows the project meets water and pressure standards in the current Water System Master Plan (Well 8 online; Well 9 estimated complete December 2026).

After public comment and commissioner discussion about trade-offs between housing capacity and neighborhood impacts, the commission moved, seconded and approved staff’s recommendation to forward the PUD to city council, with two explicit modifications: add a condition establishing a minimum 18-foot rear setback for alley‑loaded townhouses (staff had requested locking in a 20-foot setback; the commission settled on 18 feet as the minimum), and direct staff and the applicant to pursue whether a sidewalk-based alternative trail alignment into Dry Canyon could meet the TSP requirement instead of the proposed easement-aligned trail. The motion carried by voice vote; individual roll-call vote tallies were not recorded in the meeting transcript.

Next steps: The Planning Commission’s recommendation and the record of conditions will be forwarded to the Redmond City Council for its review of annexation and final policy decisions. The council public hearing and decision dates will be set per council schedule. The commission closed the hearing and adjourned; its next meeting was announced for Oct. 29, 2025.