Lifetime Citizen Portal Access — AI Briefings, Alerts & Unlimited Follows
Plan Commission approves Foster 4‑lot subdivision, waives access rule for driveway in mapped flood hazard
Loading...
Summary
Monroe County Plan Commission approved a 4‑lot Foster Minor Subdivision and granted a waiver allowing Lot 4’s existing driveway entrance within a mapped special flood hazard area, subject to highway engineering and stormwater conditions; the vote was 6–0.
The Monroe County Plan Commission on Jan. 21, 2026, approved the Foster Minor Subdivision (SMN‑26‑2), a 4‑lot preliminary plat covering approximately 135.8 acres, and granted a waiver to the county’s subdivision access rule for an existing driveway that lies within a mapped special flood hazard area.
Planner Drew presented the proposal, describing the property as unplatted and currently recorded as a single lot. He said proposed Lots 1–4 meet the minimum lot size requirements in the Agricultural Residential 2.5 zoning district and that Lot 4 contains the existing residence and outbuildings at 8427 North Mount Pleasant Road. Drew told the commission that staff recommends approval of the preliminary plat and the waiver to the special flood hazard access requirement of chapter 8‑32‑9(f) “based on the findings of fact,” subject to final highway engineer and stormwater program manager reports.
Surveyor Eric Deckard of Deckard Land Surveying, the petitioner’s representative, said recent floodplain modeling has changed over time and that the driveway apron itself sits slightly below base flood elevation while the portion in the county right‑of‑way measures above base flood elevation. He said the driveway was built to highway standards and that terrain and an adjacent bridge limit relocation options. Drew noted the floodplain administrator and the county drainage board reviewed the petition and that department comments (highway, stormwater) have been addressed or will be addressed as conditions.
Petitioner Todd Foster described the land‑division as a family plan to convey parcels to his sons and said an existing variance tied to a required subdivision prompted the current petition. Foster thanked staff and said he expects the subdivision and certificate of occupancy timing to allow his son to establish a permanent address.
Committee member (mover) moved approval of the preliminary plat and the waiver; the commission voted 6–0 (yes: David Bush; Margaret Clements; Rhonda Wright Randolph; Pat Farris; Rudy Fields; Julie Thomas) to approve the plat, grant the subdivision access waiver, and waive the final hearing. The approvals are conditioned on the highway engineering and stormwater program manager reports noted by staff.
Next steps: the approved preliminary plat remains subject to the specified departmental reports and the petitioner must record the subdivision and meet conditions before new certificates of occupancy related to the divided lots are issued.
