Committee tables Lar Ro University subdivision plan over access and easement questions

At a meeting on March 3, 2026 committee members voted to table PLC 26-07, a proposed subdivision that would formalize a gift of a building and parcel from the Sisters of Divine Providence to Lar Ro University, after officials and staff said access and easement documentation must be clarified before the plan can be recorded.

Jennifer Engel, executive director of the Intercasso Center for Lifelong Learning at Lar Ro University, described the transfer as a gift intended to allow Lar Ro to continue and expand its educational programming. Engel said the transfer "is just a gift. It's for Lar Ro to continue its educational mission" and that the donation would not change the tax status or the missional alignment of programs on the site.

Commissioners and staff raised multiple technical questions about the proposed lot split. They asked for explicit documentation of any easements needed to preserve access across shared driveways and for clear notes showing which party would own or maintain infrastructure such as stormwater facilities. A staff speaker said the only easement shown on the plan was for a sanitary sewer and asked that any additional easements created by the new lot line be shown on the recorded plan. The staff speaker also said the addressing and fire-access naming would be coordinated with the county and the fire marshal.

Speakers explained the parcel along Cumberland is effectively a steep soccer-field area with no direct vehicular access to Cumberland; regular access for both lots would be via existing entrances on Babcock and Duncan and by easement across the campus drives. The meeting record includes discussion of an emergency access drive used by the Eco Village and a previously proposed curb cut that was not developed.

Commissioners also noted routine engineering-review comments from county and Gateway Engineering memos that must be addressed, including clarifying ownership and maintenance responsibilities if infrastructure or utilities cross the new lot line, and mapping stormwater flow and ponds that appear to serve multiple facilities on the site.

Because the partnership agreement between the Sisters of Divine Providence and Lar Ro University is still being negotiated, it was not attached as a note on the plan. Engel said the partnership will include language to preserve grounds and facility maintenance for the sisters and that necessary easements would be included in the master partnership agreement and reflected on the next plan iteration.

A commissioner moved to table the item so the applicant could address the staff and engineering comments. The motion was seconded and called for a vote; at least one participant voiced opposition during the roll call but the motion carried and the item was tabled pending submission of the requested easement, addressing, and engineering clarifications. The meeting then approved the prior meeting minutes and adjourned.

Next steps: applicants were directed to revise the plan to show any access easements, clarify stormwater ownership, and include the partnership/easement language on the recorded documents before the item returns for action.