TRC approves waiver for SP 24‑13; developer must bank proportionate share for future turn lane

The Technical Review Committee on Aug. 19, 2025, approved a request to waive the immediate construction of a southbound right‑hand deceleration/turn lane for site plan SP 24‑13, with a condition that the applicant pay a proportionate share of future design and construction costs.

City staff said the property along US 1/Ridgewood Avenue exceeds the 35 mph posted speed but — based on a revised traffic impact statement (TIS) — is expected to generate about five peak‑hour right‑turn movements, well below the 100‑trip trigger in the city’s street design standards. "This is a request for the approval to remove the requirement ... under Article 5, Section 21‑5205, street design standards," the Chair said when introducing the item.

Staff recommended supporting the waiver while requiring the applicant to contribute a proportionate share of the cost of a future turn lane, to be credited against city impact fees. The applicant’s representative confirmed the proportion would be calculated from PM peak‑hour trip movements and the code threshold: "It's a 100 trips," the applicant representative said, describing the calculation that makes the project roughly a 5 percent share of the full improvement.

Committee members and the applicant discussed example costs and timing. Using a hypothetical $150,000 turn‑lane construction cost, a 5 percent share would be about $7,500; staff said the actual proportion and dollar amount would be computed later. The Chair said the city expects to bank the contribution and proposed a five‑year window for using or refunding the funds if the improvement is never constructed.

During public comment, Carol Choma, a resident of Edgewater Lakes, asked whether the waiver would remove or move the existing right‑hand turn lane serving her development. "So, it won't impact our entering or leaving our development there?" she asked. The Chair responded, "No — there's no anticipated changes to the median openings in this area based on this development." Another nearby resident, Albert Malfitano, urged consideration of coordinated, pooled improvements so multiple developers could contribute toward one future project rather than each paying separately.

A committee member moved to approve the request to eliminate the required southbound right‑hand turn/deceleration lane for SP 24‑13, with the proportionate‑share condition; the motion was seconded and passed on a roll‑call vote. The recorded votes were: Mister Solstice — yes; Mister Thurman — yes; Mister Laresi — yes; Mister Mahoney — yes; Mister Maroney — yes; Mister Milligan — yes; Mr. Geiger — yes. The motion carried and concluded the committee’s review of SP 24‑13.

Next steps: staff will calculate the applicant’s exact proportionate share and record the credit against impact fees, and the city will bank the funds for potential future construction of the turn lane or related intersection improvements.