Residents say Pulte Canyons work is loud, fast and differs from plans; council urged to require more screening

Several residents told Orange Village Council they are frustrated by recent clearing and construction activity tied to the Pulte Canyons development and urged the village to require greater screening and clarify what was approved.

Anna Gecht, who lives on Jackson Drive, said the clearing behind her property began in June, earlier than residents had been told, and that the proposed three- to four-foot mound and slow-growing trees will not provide adequate sound or visual buffering. "Our request is something closer to a 10 foot mound to provide more privacy as a sound barrier," she said, and asked that landscaping be installed this fall.

Pete Fuller, a longtime resident, said he felt the public-facing plans have changed and described parking and amenity reductions he called a "bait and switch." He and another resident, Gittell Blum, asked whether a traffic study would evaluate the extra load onto Harvard and Brainerd roads from new residential and commercial development and a proposed fire station.

Council members and planning-and-zoning representatives said they are tracking the issues. Planning member (speaker 7) said the mound and tree planting were represented to planning and zoning as being scheduled this fall and pledged to remain involved so engineering and resident concerns align. Council encouraged residents to follow up with department staff so technical questions (grading, engineering constraints, traffic-study scheduling) can be answered.

No formal action on the development was taken at the meeting; residents were advised to engage planning staff and attend future meetings for updates.