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Commission recommends conditional approval for New Riverside Parcel 8A master plan after tree, access and traffic concerns
Summary
The commission voted to recommend conditional approval of the New Riverside Parcel 8A initial master plan (104 single-family lots on 100.69 acres) subject to additional detail about long-term streetscape (tree) preservation; residents and neighboring property representatives raised questions about dual access points, construction‑vehicle queuing and preservation of existing trees.
The planning commission on April 22 recommended that town council conditionally approve the initial master plan for New Riverside Parcel 8A, a roughly 100.69-acre parcel with a proposed 104 single-family detached homes. Staff told the commission the master plan includes two access points from New Riverside Road, a 150-foot vegetative buffer on the north and east property lines, a 50-foot buffer along the southern property line and proposed pocket parks and tree-save areas.
The applicants representative described proposed amenities including lagoons, a pavilion and picnic area and said the development is planned as a gated community. "The plan is to be a gated community," the applicant said. He said traffic and tree-preservation concerns raised in comments had been considered and that the applicant had updated the traffic impact analysis to support the conceptual plan.
Nearby residents and representatives urged reconsideration of the two public openings onto New Riverside Road, citing repeated early-morning queuing of construction vehicles on a narrow two-lane corridor and the risk of stacking trucks on the public street. A representative of the adjacent master-declarant community urged that one opening be retained for residents and the second limited to emergency access; he said the original traffic study had assumed a single opening and cited state fire code provisions that allow a secondary emergency access to be designed as a nonpublic fire lane.
Commissioners commended the applicant for providing a tree-save plan but asked for stronger assurances about long-term tree and streetscape preservation after homes transfer to individual owners. Planning staff recommended a condition requiring additional documentation on how proposed street trees and preserved stands will be maintained; the commission moved to recommend conditional approval with that requirement and passed the motion unanimously.
Next steps: The commissions recommendation will be forwarded to town council for final action at a date to be determined.
Sources: Staff presentation, applicant remarks and resident testimony at the April 22 meeting.
