Independence City Council approves Pines Third Edition final plat; orders developer to provide stormwater analysis

The Independence City Council voted Feb. 10 to approve the final plat for the Pines Third Edition while adding requirements that the developer’s engineer provide additional stormwater information so the city’s reviewer can complete an analysis of the detention basin.

Council members moved to accept the plat and authorize the mayor to sign the resolution, but amended the draft to require the developer’s engineer to supply “all required information for the city’s engineer (Fair Graham) to complete the analysis of Lot B” and to perform any field studies needed to confirm compliance with city stormwater criteria. The council scheduled a work session for March 2 to scope the study.

The action followed public comments from nearby residents concerned about runoff. “I… have a question that if the engineers have signed off that everything’s okay back there regarding the water, who’s responsible if we do get flooded?” a resident (Porsche) asked, saying she had purchased flood insurance after heavy rains last summer. Tom Celestei, president of the Goldfinch Homeowners Association, told the council that older residents in 13 adjacent condos worry that water will flow down from higher ground and into backyards and basements. “I certainly urge a water study to be completed on this,” Celestei said.

City planning staff presented the plat and described an unexpected finding during construction: a previously uncharted 30‑inch storm pipe that now runs through the footprint of the proposed detention basin. Planning staff noted the developer had met most requirements, “with the exception of lot B, the storm water issue,” and that the basin’s behavior may differ from the original design because the pipe brings additional inflow from the south.

Crawford Engineering — the developer’s engineering firm — told the council it restored the uncharted pipe to service during construction and that the pond “will still function,” adding that the construction matched the submitted plans. “We submitted a design and Fair Graham reviewed that design,” Crawford’s representative said, noting construction had followed those plans and that the uncharted pipe was unknown to the developer at the time.

Fair Graham, the city’s independent reviewer, urged caution. “We just can’t say with certainty that what’s out there currently as built will meet what the city’s storm water management policy is” without running additional calculations on the 30‑inch pipe’s drainage area and elevations, the Fair Graham reviewer said, recommending further analysis to determine whether the basin will meet detention criteria for smaller storms and how much additional area the pipe effectively drains.

Council discussion focused on balancing the developer’s ability to proceed with the project and the neighbors’ concerns. The resolution approved by the council accepts public improvements for the plat but excludes Lot B (the detention/stormwater lot) from dedication and acceptance; the developer granted the city an easement across Lot B to allow access for any necessary work. The amended resolution requires the developer’s engineer to provide information and to work with the city to address any modifications arising from Fair Graham’s review.

The council voted by roll call to approve the amended resolution; six members voted yes. The mayor and staff said the March 2 work session will determine study scope — including whether the review should extend beyond Lot B to nearby drainage areas — and whether additional mitigation measures are needed. The meeting adjourned after the vote.

What’s next: Fair Graham will use the developer-supplied information to finish its analysis; council members signaled they will review the scope and cost of a possible broader drainage study at the March work session.