Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Subdivision topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Plan commission approves Barberia Estates Phase 3 primary plat after pond safety discussion
Summary
The commission approved the primary plat for Barberia Estates Phase 3 (24 lots on about 29.64 acres at West Reeves Road). Residents raised pond safety and HOA concerns; the petitioner’s engineer described design changes intended to reduce runoff and noted town inspection before HOA turnover.
The Ellettsville Plan Commission voted July 9 to approve the primary plat for Barberia Estates Phase 3, a 24‑lot, 29.64‑acre single‑family subdivision at 7691 West Reeves Road (PC26-17).
Staff presented the primary plat and said it meets Unified Development Ordinance requirements. Engineer AJ Willis, representing the petitioner (Barberry Homes), told the commission the plan is similar to a 2024 approval but adds 10 lots, increases tree plot width for sidewalks to 6 feet, and updates stormwater measures to comply with Ellettsville’s new stormwater ordinance.
Willis described revised pond and detention designs intended to reduce runoff: the proposed riser structure sets the normal water surface elevation and provides 4.2 feet of additional storage above the normal pool to mitigate storm events. He said the on‑site pond receives runoff from about 136 acres (roughly 100 acres of that off‑site) and that the design reduces the 100‑year predevelopment runoff from about 230 cubic feet per second (CFS) to about 61 CFS. "Our lake design actually reduces the runoff rates for off‑site water as well," Willis said.
Resident Rose Seguin, who lives in Barberia Estates, voiced concerns about safety for children attracted to the pond, the cost and responsibility for ongoing maintenance, the status and initiation of a homeowners association, and whether nearby residents not adjacent to the pond would be required to pay for maintenance. "We haven't heard anything for safety... How will the HOA be initiated again? And, how would affect us that we're not anywhere near the pond area where it's going to be, but yet will we have to pay for what maintenance will be done yearly?" Seguin asked.
Willis said standard safety measures for deeper ponds include constructing a shelf around embankments (to help someone stand and exit the pond) and that fencing is an option; he also noted the petitioner hired a geotechnical engineer to design the dam and spillway and that the town’s engineer will inspect the pond before turnover to an HOA. Staff added that questions about HOA fees, insurance and taxes are outside the commission’s control and recommended residents follow up with the developer or HOA organizers.
Following discussion and public comment, the commission moved and approved the primary plat on roll call.
