Planning commission recommends rezoning 16.75-acre parcel on Washington Dam Road; resident raises access and floodplain concerns

The planning commission voted on June 3 to recommend that city council approve a rezoning request (Z-26-11) to change about 16.75 acres at approximately 2335 East Washington Dam Road from open space to an RA-1/2 residential designation.

Alvin, the planning staff presenter, told commissioners the change would affect the outermost edge of the mapped flood zone and that land inside the floodway and floodplain would remain designated open space. "If the proposed land is developed, primary access will be from Washington Dam Road between 2275 East and 2350 East," Alvin said, describing the exhibit shown to commissioners.

The recommendation prompted several questions about whether required legal access and road dedications exist now. Staff said rezoning can be approved before legal access is secured; a developer would typically negotiate with adjacent owners, construct a road to city standards and dedicate it at the preliminary/final plat stage. "They then dedicate it to the city on a public road dedication, and then the city makes sure they build it to code and to spec," a staff member explained.

Resident Brenda Shuttle, who said she lives at 2275 East, spoke during public comment and asked how future vehicle access would be routed and whether homes could be built behind existing agricultural easements. "I just want you to know that first, that's wrong," Shuttle said of the claim that neighbors had been part of earlier access discussions, and asked, "how would they get the road through?" Staff replied that developers must resolve easement or property ownership issues before a public road can be dedicated and that filling and building in floodplain areas would require engineering certification.

Commissioner Davis, speaking for the commission during deliberations, said the body should flag construction-traffic routing and ask city council to consider directing construction traffic eastward on Washington Dam Road to reduce impacts on established neighborhoods. Commissioners also discussed long-range road projects staff said could relieve Dam Road congestion, including a regional route through Purgatory Valley and the Long Valley Road connection to George Washington Boulevard.

After discussion, Commissioner Davis moved to recommend approval of Z-26-11 to city council, subject to the findings and recommendations in the staff report; the motion was seconded. The chair recorded affirmative votes and announced the item will be forwarded to city council with a recommendation for approval.

The commission and staff stressed that the rezoning does not itself authorize road construction across private property or change existing private easements. Any required road dedications, exact road sizing and floodplain mitigation would be determined at subsequent planning, platting and permitting steps, each of which will include additional opportunities for public input.

The commission adjourned after concluding the item. The city council will receive the commission's recommendation at a future meeting for a final decision.