Commission refers Margaret Kamick senior-living plan to full commission after neighbors raise access and stormwater concerns

Planning staff presented MJDP 25-67 on Feb. 5 as a final development plan for the Margaret Kamick / W.E. Savage property at 4630 Old Schoolhouse Lane proposing a 45-unit senior living facility, 10 single-family lots and one HOA lot. Staff listed outstanding items: correcting the parcel address, mapping existing and proposed easements, submitting a tree inventory and preservation plan in compliance with zoning ordinance article 26-4(b)(c), confirming building dimensions for a two-story structure and clarifying ownership and maintenance of stormwater areas. Staff recommended approval with standard sign-offs but noted the need for engineering and water-quality approvals.

Multiple neighbors urged the committee to delay or oppose the plan. Resident Bennett Clark said recent winter conditions made nearby Dogwood Trace and parts of Agape Drive nearly impassable and described a case where ambulance access was delayed; he also alleged prior clearing by a developer removed mature interior trees leaving only a narrow, ineffective protection buffer. "It is inconceivable that a senior living facility will be placed in an area that is unreachable by emergency personnel," Clark said in public comment.

Resident Chris Coldiron and Mark Sock of the Dogwood Trace Neighborhood Association emphasized the site’s constrained conditions and cited LFUCG engineering findings that Old School House Lane and surrounding steep streets are substandard for high-density traffic. Coldiron noted the property’s 2022 rezoning record and asked the committee how many had visited the site.

Johan Graham of AU Associates, the applicant, said the team had revised the plan after neighborhood meetings: the building was flipped and reduced from three stories to two, parking and circulation were adjusted to limit headlight impacts and the dumpster was internalized. Graham argued the R-3 zoning permits higher density and that senior housing is consistent with the comprehensive plan and citywide goals for affordable senior units.

Committee members discussed whether the use was discretionary given current zoning and raised unresolved technical questions about stormwater and the location and potential opening of Agape Drive. One member said engineering staff should have additional time to verify whether a regional stormwater facility exists or whether on-site detention will be required. A motion to refer the item to the full planning commission with an explicit direction that the applicant provide a clearer stormwater plan and drainage documentation carried unanimously.

The referral means MJDP 25-67 will be presented to the full commission next week; the applicant will be expected to supply the requested stormwater and easement clarifications before that hearing.