Developer pitches 28‑unit apartment; council favors north‑entry design to avoid road assessment

Chris Kale, the developer who identified himself at the meeting, presented a proposed 28‑unit, two‑story apartment that he said “fits in the corner perfectly” and could start in the fall.

The project team and city staff showed a revised site plan that would place the main driveway on the portion of Centennial already built to city standards and make a second outlet a fire‑access‑only route on the non‑upgraded section. Staff told council that the revised layout would avoid installing a cul‑de‑sac and that any future city decision to upgrade the remaining length of Centennial would be assessed to property owners under current city policy. “When the city decided to upgrade it, it would still be assessed to the property owners,” a staff member said.

Council members and staff discussed assessment estimates and traffic impacts. Different speakers offered ballpark assessment figures during discussion (one referred to about $145,000, another said roughly $125,000). Staff cautioned the numbers were estimates and not contractor bids. Staff also provided an order‑of‑magnitude revenue example, saying a building could produce roughly $50,000 a year in property taxes and about $284,000 in one‑time fees and related revenue as a broad estimate.

The council pressed the safety and operational implications of placing regular vehicle traffic on the older, substandard segment of the road. Staff and the city’s engineer described physical controls that could limit public use of a fire access, such as drive‑over balusters or geogrid/grass pavers that look like lawn but support emergency vehicles. “There’s a variety of different ways to make a fire entrance that doesn't have vehicles wanting to use it,” the engineer said.

Resident William Carroll, who spoke during the discussion, asked whether the property would still be assessed if the driveway was arranged to avoid the nonstandard road; staff confirmed the property could be assessed in either case once the city chose to make a public improvement in that segment. Carroll said he preferred the original plan with two driveways if he would eventually share assessment costs.

By the end of the discussion council members generally favored the concept that funnels regular traffic to the north (the upgraded segment) and limits the south access to emergency use, directing staff and the developer to proceed with that approach while noting final site plan review and planning commission procedures remain. The council asked the developer to refine internal layout decisions such as garage placement and to return as necessary during official review.