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Neighbors cite traffic, safety and drainage as commission approves Sanford Farms subdivision
Summary
The Planning and Zoning Commission approved Sanford Farms (24 lots) after staff and the petitioner presented traffic and stormwater analyses; nearby residents urged stronger buffers and raised concerns about backups at Martin Road and Martin Spur and stormwater impacts to their neighborhood.
The Planning and Zoning Commission on June 15 approved Sanford Farms, a 24-lot subdivision proposed south of Walton Lane and north of 12745 Sanford Lane, after hearing multiple neighbor concerns about traffic, density and drainage.
Staff described S3826 as a 24-lot development on roughly 49.2 acres outside city limits; engineering supported the petitioner’s variance requests related to stub streets because adjacent land ownership (including a state mental-health parcel) reduces the likelihood of future connections. Petitioner Robert Martin (Duncan Coker Associates) told the commission that lots average just under two acres, that a 35-foot landscape buffer is proposed along Sanford Lane and that a traffic study concluded the Martin Road at Martin Spur intersection would operate at an acceptable level of service with the added lots.
Neighbors, including Vanessa Gopel (10570 Loganwood Drive) and Jessica Johnson (10422 Loganwood Drive), urged the commission to account for existing peak-hour backups, questioned whether the small increase in capacity shown by the traffic study reflected real-world congestion, asked for larger buffers and wanted assurance that drainage and fire-department access would be adequate. Gopel said the traffic "actually backs up ... probably about a mile" during evening peaks and asked whether the 35-foot buffer could be doubled.
Petitioners responded that the development includes stormwater detention that outfalls to the south and that they will "try to maintain as many trees within the development as we can." Engineering noted the city’s 24-inch water line and a 20-foot easement at the north property line, and said stormwater will be addressed in land-development-permit reviews before any building permits are issued. Despite the concerns, the commission found the submitted traffic and stormwater information sufficient for approval and approved the variances and preliminary plat.
The commission’s approval is a recommendation because the property is outside city limits; engineering and future permitting will require per-lot drainage studies and applicable agency approvals for ALDOT-controlled road frontages where relevant.
