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Clayton council overrules planning commission and approves Hunter's Path Phase 4 subdivision
Summary
After a public hearing in which neighbors raised drainage concerns, Clayton City Council overruled a 2–2 planning commission tied vote and approved the final plat for Hunter's Path Phase 4: a 57‑lot, ~20.85‑acre single‑family subdivision under RSD zoning, subject to staff conditions and HOA maintenance.
Clayton City Council voted to overrule the planning commission and approve the final development plan for Hunter's Path Phase 4, a 57‑lot single‑family subdivision on roughly 20.85 acres at the northwest corner of Westbrook and Union Roads (parcel ID M6032070023).
Development director Colin Carville presented the final plat as conforming to RSD (residential single‑unit) standards and recommended approval with nine conditions. "This is a final subdivision plan that will create 57 single family home lots and three open spaces on a total of 20.8486 acres," Carville said, noting buildable areas, minimum street frontage requirements and that approximately 4.782 acres (about 22.94%) are set aside as open space. Staff said proposed infrastructure includes streets, sidewalks, lighting, water and sewer tie‑ins, and detention ponds for stormwater.
During the public hearing, resident Shaina Sanford said her block in earlier phases has experienced repeated backyard flooding since initial grading in 2025 and requested long‑term drainage fixes. "It flooded immediately after [the first grading]," Sanford said; she showed a timeline of incidents and said repairs (including one broken tile drain) have not fully resolved the problem. Staff and the developer responded that engineers have planned catch basins and grading that will tie standing water into the storm management system and detention ponds, and that Ohio stormwater standards require on‑site treatment and controlled release. Carville told residents: "There will be a catch basin back behind the lot... and ultimately make it into the ponds into the detention pond," and added staff will work with Arbor Homes to investigate existing tile drains and grading in earlier phases.
Council also addressed connectivity and tree preservation; staff said the western connection was constrained by drainage and by Englewood’s objections, and that while some trees may be preserved where possible, grading to fix drainage may require additional clearing. Council members confirmed the four phases will be under a single homeowners association responsible for maintaining green space and stormwater features.
The ordinance to overrule the planning commission (which had split 2–2 and therefore recommended disapproval) required a council majority and was put to a vote; council voted to overrule and approve the final plan. The law director reminded council that the final‑plan review focuses on whether the preliminary plan has been carried out and that conditions negotiated during the preliminary phase are binding where specified.
Why it matters: The council’s decision advances a sizable residential subdivision in Clayton that will add 57 single‑family lots to the market; neighbors’ drainage concerns and long‑term stormwater responsibilities for the HOA were central issues during the hearing. Carville’s staff recommendation, the developer’s commitments to engineered drainage and the council’s decision together mean construction approvals will move forward subject to the conditions agreed by staff and council.
Next steps: The approved final plat will proceed toward ministerial approvals and site engineering; staff said individual homebuilding plans will require separate reviews and that the HOA will be responsible for maintaining common stormwater infrastructure.
