Planning board defers Tillis subdivision after staff says access road is not county‑maintained

The Baker County Land Planning Agency deferred a proposed three‑lot subdivision for property owned by Reed Tillis after staff said the application failed to meet a county rule requiring direct access to a county‑maintained paved road.

Staff briefed the board that the application, which would create three 7.5‑acre lots from a roughly 71.92‑acre tract (previously associated with an unrecorded Long Branch Farms approval), otherwise met dimensional and zoning standards. But staff said subsequent checks with Public Works and the road department showed Simol Lane is not on the county's maintained‑road list. Under current subdivision code, minor residential lots must have direct access to a county‑maintained paved road. Because that requirement was unmet, staff said the recommendation changed from approval to denial.

"One of those requirements is no longer met because this is a private road instead of a county‑maintained road," Madame Director Ledonna told the board when explaining the change in recommendation.

Applicant Reed Tillis disputed the finding and urged the board to allow more time and flexibility. He said the county road department had previously built the route and that he had worked with planning staff and provided required materials. "I've jumped through every hoop," Tillis said. "I feel like I'm the whipping boy." He described past county operations that he said had left an improved roadbed on the property.

Board members debated several options: denying the application (which would let the applicant pursue a variance before the county commissioners), conditionally approving the subdivision with a requirement that road improvements be completed prior to issuing any building permits, or deferring the item until staff, the applicant and county departments could coordinate a path forward. Members discussed the administrative limits on conditional approvals and whether the exemption process applied; staff said the parcel did not meet exemption thresholds.

After extended discussion the board voted to defer the subdivision to the next LPA meeting and requested that staff coordinate a meeting among the applicant, the fire chief, the road department, the county commissioners and planning staff. The goal is to assemble engineering documentation or a variance application in time for the county commissioners' April 7 meeting and the LPA's April 9 meeting so the matter can move forward with clear options.

What was at issue: County subdivision code requires direct access to a county‑maintained paved road for newly created lots in a minor subdivision process. Where that standard is not met, applicants can request a variance from the county commission or provide engineering evidence that an alternate access meets emergency standards; staff said neither condition had been satisfied at the time of the March hearing.

Next steps: Staff will arrange the interagency review; the applicant may pursue a variance before the commissioners (which requires public notice) or coordinate to produce the engineering tests the fire chief and road department require. The board left the item open for the April cycle so discussions and any variance application can be ready for action.

Sources: Staff presentation, public comment by applicant Reed Tillis, and board deliberations at the Baker County Land Planning Agency meeting on March 10, 2026.