Platte County approves preliminary plat for Shelter Haven subdivision despite resident concerns over runoff and traffic

The Platte County Planning and Zoning Commission voted Dec. 16 to approve a preliminary plat that will divide an 18.26-acre parcel in southern Platte County into six single-family lots, a decision that drew extended public comment about traffic, stormwater management and long-term maintenance of detention areas.

Jason Halterman, assistant director of planning and zoning, told the commission the proposal from Owens Built Shelter Haven LLC would not change zoning. The property is zoned R-40 (40,000-square-foot minimum lots) and the preliminary plat subdivides two rear lots into four additional lots, yielding six lots that range from about 1.25 to 3.88 acres. Halterman said the plat conforms to Platte County’s future land-use plan for infill residential, includes a dedicated detention/open-space tract and preserves a 150-foot-wide stream setback (75 feet from each bank). He also said revised stormwater plans were reviewed and approved by the county engineer and that a traffic study was not required because the new lots would not generate 100 or more peak-hour trips.

Residents who spoke opposed the change, citing prior rezoning attempts by the developer and long-standing concerns about traffic and flooding. Mike Porter, a Shelter Haven resident, said earlier rezoning attempts had spanned “10 years of agony” and disputed staff’s characterization of added traffic, noting multiple delivery vehicles and school buses use narrow streets. Jamie R. Gast, who said she has lived in the area 40 years, described repeated runoff that she said damaged her foundation and estimated she spent about $10,000 on land reclamation; she asked whether extending sewer lines north of Maple would require a pumping station and who would pay for it.

Several speakers said a homeowners association (HOA) that once existed is no longer active and questioned who would be responsible for maintaining the detention basins and common elements. A resident who said the HOA had been dissolved asked who would manage the proposed retention pond and whether the two existing storm drains would handle additional runoff. Commissioners and staff responded that final-plat conditions must establish an entity to maintain common elements and that such a maintenance requirement would be placed on the final plat if this preliminary plat is approved.

The applicant’s representative, Matt Ravel of Millburn Civil Engineering, said the proposed roads will be constructed to local street standards (24-foot asphalt surface with two-foot curb returns) and that the developer will analyze and use existing inlets where possible. Ravel said the revised stormwater analysis complies with APWA chapter 5600 standards and that the design includes detention to ensure post-development discharge will not exceed pre-development conditions.

After public comment and board discussion, a motion to approve agenda item 3a was made and seconded; the chair called for a hand vote and the item passed. The commission did not record individual vote tallies in the transcript. Staff noted that conditions related to maintenance responsibility and stormwater compliance would be finalized at the time of the final plat and construction-plan approvals.

The commission also approved minutes from the prior meeting and previewed the Jan. 20 agenda, which will include a site development plan for a proposed small church. The meeting adjourned the same night.