Neighbors press commission on drainage and buffers during Parker Creek Townhomes preliminary plat hearing

The Auburn Planning Commission heard detailed public comment on the Parker Creek Townhomes Phase C preliminary plat, a proposal by Leethart Engineering for 37 townhome lots and two open-space lots fronting East Long Leaf and accessing Oak Hill Court.

Neighbors who spoke at the public hearing said recent heavy rain inundated adjacent yards and exposed what they called undersized culverts and recurring backups. Craig Barnes said his yard at 1556 Oak Hill Court flooded to the gas line and asked whether the project’s retention pond would prevent worse backup onto existing properties. Melissa Hurt, who owns adjacent rental properties, asked whether the developer would preserve mature trees along the creek and whether some townhomes were three stories rather than the two stories described in the presentation. Joe Tworty asked for clearer, legible plats and pointed to dotted lines on the exhibit he could not read.

Staff and the applicant told the commission the preliminary plat stage does not yet include a finished landscape plan but that the project will meet city landscaping and stream-buffer requirements. Staff noted the site includes the limits of a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers jurisdictional wetland and a mapped 100‑year floodplain; they said the current phase avoids disturbing the Corps‑jurisdictional area and that the engineering approach is to retain and treat stormwater on site and account for increased impervious area. The applicant said the curb-stub road on the plat is a temporary cul‑de‑sac and that three lots at the end will not be built until a future phase is approved.

Why it matters: Nearby residents described repeated localized flooding during last week’s storm and asked the commission to be attentive to culvert sizes, the location and maintenance of the retention pond, and a physical buffer between new townhomes and existing houses. Staff repeatedly stressed permits and final engineering — including a formal landscape and buffer plan and any Type II/III fence requirement — will be required prior to final plat and building permits.

The commission closed the public hearing after public comments and detailed staff responses; at the preliminary stage, staff emphasized conditions and that many design details are resolved with final engineering and permit submittals rather than at the preliminary-plat hearing.

Next steps: The item remains at the preliminary-plat stage; staff said landscaping, buffer fencing, final stormwater calculations and plan prints legible to the public will be required before final approval.