Plan Commission forwards Northgate PUD rezone for 154‑acre site to council

The Lebanon Plan Commission voted unanimously to forward a favorable recommendation to the Common Council on docket 26-22, the Northgate Planned Unit Development rezone for a roughly 154‑acre site near State Road 39 and County Road 300 North. Chair (S1) noted the motion “does carry unanimously.”

Planning staff (Ben) told the commission the PUD request is a first, high‑level step in a multi‑phase process that establishes subdistricts and development standards — not final engineering — so the city and developer can determine whether a master plan is feasible before the applicant spends on detailed traffic and drainage studies. “This is the 1st step of that process before the planning commission,” Ben said, describing the PUD as a way to create subdistricts where mixed residential and neighborhood commercial uses are proposed.

Developer Scott Noel of Braun Property Development said Northgate would include five overlay districts — village (about two‑thirds of the site for single‑family homes), town (flexible product including townhomes), terrace (higher‑density multifamily), market (neighborhood commercial along SR 39) and a park district — and would be built in multiple phases. Noel provided a ballpark unit estimate: “about 350” single‑family detached homes in the village district, “about a 120” townhome units, and “around 200 to 250” units in the multifamily area. He also described proposed homeowner‑association rules the developer intends to include in covenants, including limits on rentals: “No more than 10% of total dwelling units may be rented” and a one‑year owner‑occupancy minimum following purchase.

Neighbors at the public hearing pressed several concerns. Valerie Jasper, who said she and nearby families opposed the rezoning, argued the proposal conflicted with the comprehensive plan and would be incompatible with adjacent large‑lot properties; she urged the commission to forward an unfavorable recommendation. “We urge the commission to deny this request to rezone the subject property from single family residential to a PUD district,” Jasper said, and she raised density calculations she said showed a far higher intensity than surrounding neighborhoods. Stan Skelton, a resident on 300 North, warned the existing single‑lane bridge and narrow roadway are not adequate and asked who would pay for widening, moving utilities and protecting private wells. Other residents urged the commission to require careful buffering, tree preservation and consideration of school impacts.

Ben responded that a traffic study will be required during the primary plat and development plan phase and that the study will identify the intersections and roadway segments needing improvements; those studies inform both county and state reviews for County Road 300 North and State Road 39, respectively. He said the developer would generally be expected to fund required improvements — either by building them directly, having costs credited against impact fees, or through financing tools such as tax increment financing — and that the city will not plan to rely on existing taxpayers to pay for developer‑needed infrastructure. “We can't provide access on 300 North based on its current condition,” Ben said, adding that the bridge and corridor are part of what will be evaluated.

Commission discussion touched on process and timing: Ben reiterated that the comprehensive plan is a guiding document (a living plan the city updates) and explained why zoning precedes costly engineering: the PUD provides a feasibility step so developers and city staff can justify the investment in traffic, drainage and civil studies. Commissioners also confirmed residential construction hours would be restricted to daytime in residential districts.

After the public hearing and staff responses, Committee member (S4) moved to forward the Northgate PUD rezone ordinance to the Common Council with a favorable recommendation; Committee member (S5) seconded the motion. Chair (S1) called for the ayes and stated the motion carried unanimously. The commission's favorable recommendation advances the item to the Common Council, where further review, hearings and formal ordinance adoption would take place. The record shows additional technical reviews — traffic studies, drainage and primary platting — will be required before any construction permits are issued.

Next steps: The PUD rezone and ordinance will be considered by the Lebanon Common Council; the primary planning and development plan phase will require a traffic study, drainage and site design work, and future public hearings that will address buffers, tree preservation, well protection and the detailed layout of streets and utilities.