Planning and Zoning Commission forwards Wilkinson four‑lot subdivision in Ocean View to final review

The Ocean View Planning and Zoning Commission voted to forward a preliminary plan for a four‑lot subdivision at Northwest Elliot Avenue to final review, moving the project closer to potential approval while attaching conditions on stormwater, wetland buffers and infrastructure work.

Mr. Lover, the staff reviewer, told the commission that although open space is not normally required for a four‑lot proposal, “open space is required to support the stormwater management facility. Therefore, a homeowners association will need to be created in accordance with the requirements of section 14072.” He also said that updated FEMA approval for a revised CLOMR (Conditional Letter of Map Revision) will be required prior to final plan approval and that any outside agency approvals that have expired must be reissued.

Applicant engineer Ray Blakey of Plitco Engineering described the project as a four‑lot subdivision on about 2.48 acres at the end of Deer Drive, with extensions of sewer and water into a new cul‑de‑sac, a small wet pond to treat and discharge runoff to White Creek, and an extension of an existing bulkhead along the north side of the property. Blakey said the team obtained a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers Nationwide 18 permit to fill a portion of the wetlands and that remaining non‑titled wetlands on the site are subject to the town’s buffer requirements.

The staff review and the applicant’s plan highlighted several technical requirements and concerns. Mr. Lover said the new wetland boundary on the east side of lot 1 creates A and B buffers that constrain grading; grading within either buffer is not permitted without applying buffer averaging or other offsets. He also flagged potential problems with the grading and a proposed pond and bulkhead that, as currently shown, could interrupt an existing drainage pattern and create a sumped condition on the neighbor’s lot. The staff review advised replacing existing 12‑inch corrugated metal pipe culverts under two driveways with 12‑inch reinforced concrete pipe, rebuilding the portion of a driveway within the right‑of‑way to a maximum 20‑foot width as part of cul‑de‑sac reconfiguration, and clearing and grading an existing ditch to ensure positive drainage.

A commissioner asked whether a small existing pier adjacent to lot 2 would remain and whether it would be part of the homeowners association; Blakey said the pier would remain and would be privately owned by that lot, not maintained by the HOA.

Commissioners also pressed staff and the applicant about the project’s effect on off‑site ponding. Mr. Lover said the existing sump near the creek likely cannot be fully eliminated by this project but that the subdivision should reduce flow onto that area. He emphasized that the preliminary approval is not final: “Final construction plans still have to come in. We’ll go through, you know, to very fine level of detail for all the code requirements and design requirements as we move forward.”

After discussion, a commissioner moved to forward the preliminary plan to final review contingent on staff report and required approvals; the motion was seconded and the commission voted in favor. The motion passed. The commission then adjourned.

What comes next: the applicant must supply revised sediment and stormwater plans, updated FEMA CLOMR approval, and any reissued outside‑agency permits prior to final plan approval; the town will review final construction plans for grading, drainage and compliance with wetland buffer rules.