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Planning Commission reviews development plan
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Clay Center's planning commission has put off until at least next week a final recommendation on the 212-unit housing addition proposed for north and east of the Clay Center Community Middle School.
If approved, it would be the largest single housing development in Clay Center since the 1880's.
The panel saw plans for the development for the first time at a meeting Wednesday afternoon during a presentation by Todd Anderson of Bucher and Willis engineers from Salina.
The main sticking point is the need for a shorter access for emergency vehicles to homes in the south end of the development.
Under the plan 12th St. would not be extended from Prospect on the south to 19th Road on the north but rather would be paved from 19th road about half way south. Wires holding up the cable television tower block development of 12th St. all the way through.
Buddie Salsbury, developer, said the plan calls for seven entrances to the development. But city fire chief Jon Siemers said he would like to see easier access to houses just east of the middle school. Under the proposed plan all the entrances are in the north half of the development and emergency vehicles would have to go north to enter the development and then drive south to the homes in the south end.
Anderson said he would have options to consider at the next planning commission meeting, set for Wednesday, August 30, in time for the panel to get a recommendation to the city council by its next regular meeting.
Anderson said the streets inside the development will 28 feet wide with five foot curbs and gutters, what he described as "fairly healthy" widths for residential land. That came in response to a question from Siemers about parking control on the streets.
Salsbury said the company would put up whatever parking restrictions the city required.
Salsbury said drainage would be handled by a grass water retention pond similar to the one southwest of the Middle School.
"I hate retention ponds, but the stormwater system in the area might be overwhelmed at times," Salsbury said. "To fix that we've given up $100,000 worth of building lots to put in the retention pond so we won't contribute anything to water flow in the stormwater system. You're already are having problems at times with (the stormwater system) and we will not add to that."
Wastewater manager Jerry Davies told the panel the city sewer system is prepared to handle up to 412 new units before upgrading would be necessary, nearly 200 more homes than are planned in the project.
He said the project has passed the Phase I environmental audit and that the city is working with the Kansas Department of Health and Environment on approval of a stormwater retention pond.
Bill Callaway, city utilities superintendent, said the city has a 10-inch and an 8 inch water main near the development and plenty of water available. He said sewers will run behind the houses and water will run in front of the homes.
He said the city has adequate electric capacity and that he would run two 13 kilowatt feeder lines underground to service the properties. He has secured a 25 foot easement along the east side of the property and said the power lines cannot be buried under a street.
No power lines will be strung on poles in the development, Callaway said.
"We could use 212 new customers," he told the panel.
Salsbury said beside single family units, the plan calls for senior housing just east of the vacant school land just north of the middle school. And he plans on townhouses on 4.5 acres at the far south end of the development just off Prospect.
Salsbury said his company, Venture Enterprises, plans to market the subdivision in a 75-mile radius of Clay Center.
Once a plan is approved by the planning commission, a recommendation will be sent to the city council for consideration.
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©Clay Center Dispatch 2010
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