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Planning commission approves Terra Verde (Oak Hill) preliminary plat with drainage and ARDOT contingencies
Summary
After extensive public comment about flooding and Highway 5 traffic, the Cabot Planning Commission approved the Terra Verde/Oak Hill preliminary plat conditioned on final drainage calculations, ARDOT driveway approvals and staff resolution of outstanding engineering comments; commissioners also asked staff to pursue a conservation-easement option for a 15‑acre buffer.
Residents packed the meeting to oppose the Terra Verde (Oak Hill) preliminary plat, pressing commissioners on drainage, traffic safety and neighborhood character before the commission voted to approve the application with contingencies.
Dustin Daniel, a neighborhood representative, told the commission he provided a handout showing topography and said the surrounding subdivisions sit in basins with "only one place for water to go," warning that if detention measures fail "that water's coming down to somebody." Robin Lancaster, another nearby resident, said the layout would create 364 individual units and argued the plan would "introduce severe, unmitigated risk to our neighborhood, character, public safety, and infrastructure." Several residents cited prior flooding events and RDOT sight‑distance concerns.
Developer Don Overton and his team defended the plan, saying the project uses two Highway 5 access points per staff direction and that the lots were sized consistent with recently approved R‑2 zoning. Overton said the project includes seven detention ponds and has been sized to the 100‑year standard; "We're detaining almost 450,000 cubic feet of water," he said, adding that engineers have worked with the city's reviewer, 0.5, to address comments.
Joe Moore of 0.5, the independent engineering reviewer, told commissioners his team has worked through many comments but has not yet completed all point‑of‑discharge pre/post calculations. He said the city's ordinance requires development not to increase runoff: "The flow produced at those same points of discharge cannot be increased. They can be equal to or less than, but it cannot be increased." Moore said the drainage and outlet sizing remain outstanding items, and that ARDOT's ongoing Highway 5 design affects intersection sight‑distance analysis.
Following questions from commissioners and legal counsel about what the commission may condition, Commissioner Prater moved to approve the preliminary plat with contingencies including final drainage calculations that demonstrate compliance with the city ordinance, ARDOT driveway/stopping‑sight‑distance approval, resolution of outstanding engineering comments at the staff level, and study/consideration of a conservation easement for the southern 15 acres. The motion was seconded by Commissioner Lowe and passed on roll call.
The approval was for the preliminary plat only; the developer must satisfy the listed engineering and agency conditions and return for a final plat and additional staff review before vertical construction can begin.
