7-lot development turned down

President, Morgan County Planning Commission

At their meeting March 27 meeting, the Morgan County Planning Commission considered a request from Seely and Kesecker, LLC for approval of a preliminary plat for a proposed subdivision.

The development was to be composed of one commercial and six residential lots on 2.1 acres on the west side of U.S. 522 at the intersection with Rt. 13.

In addition, the developer submitted four adjoining small lots through the exemption section of the county's Subdivision Ordinance. Because the preliminary plat proposal contained a lot smaller than 1/4 acre, the subdivision was classified as a High Density Development. This classification has specific requirements under the ordinance that must be met.

The developer requested a waiver from that part of the requirements that called for installation of curbs and gutters along roads and parking areas, claiming that these features would be expensive and visually different from their developments nearby.

After considering the waiver request and discussing possible water movement impacts, the Planning Commission voted not to grant the waiver. Since the proposed preliminary plat design depended on the waiver being granted, the request to approve the seven lots was also denied.