Planning commission backs preliminary plat for five‑lot Taber Drive subdivision

The Ames City Planning and Zoning Commission voted to recommend city council approval of a preliminary plat that would divide 5120 Taber Drive into five single‑family lots and a 0.89‑acre outlot reserved for future development. The commission made the recommendation by voice vote after staff presented the plat and answered questions about open space and frontage.

City staff said the five proposed lots are each “over 7,200 square feet, with 77 feet of frontage,” and noted the site will be required to meet the city’s 10% open‑space standard. Staff described two ways the requirement could be satisfied: by designating the outlot to meet the standard or by the developer formally joining the Sunset Ridge homeowners association and documenting how the open‑space obligation will be met in the final plat materials.

Applicant Keith Arneson, who identified his address for the record, told commissioners the first five lots are “shovel ready” and that the remaining outlot will require additional work; he said, “I fully plan on having those be residential lots.”

Neighbor Jill Beyer, who lives nearby at 512 Westfield Road, urged caution about further development of the outlot and raised safety concerns about adding driveways to Tabor Road, which she described as narrower than other streets in the subdivision. “I’m a little concerned about having five more driveways onto Tabor on a road that’s already a little more narrow,” she said, and asked staff to post the staff report as advertised so residents can review it.

Commissioners asked staff to clarify whether the outlot and the adjacent church share ownership; staff said there is no shared ownership and that the retention pond on the church parcel was designed with capacity to accommodate development on the Taber property. Staff also reiterated that the final plat — which goes to city council rather than back to the commission — must include the legal documents showing how open‑space obligations and any HOA arrangements will be satisfied.

After the discussion, a commissioner moved and a second supported a recommendation that city council approve the preliminary plat; the motion passed by voice vote. The recommendation will be transmitted to the council for final action on the final plat.

The commission’s action was advisory; final approval of a final plat and any recorded documents will be decided by the city council according to the city’s subdivision procedures.