Farmington planners table items amid several concerns

FARMINGTON — Farmington Planning Commission had five action items on its agenda Sept. 25, and after a lot of discussion, three of those items were tabled because of concerns voiced by commission members and residents at the meeting.

Two items were approved: the final plat for Summerfield Subdivision, Phase 2, at the end of Wilson Street, and the final plat/ replat for Farmington Heights, Phase 2, on Chickasaw Road.

However, the commission tabled a request to approve the preliminary plat for Wagon Wheel Crossing, Phase 2, by a 6-0 vote.

Commission members also voted 6-0 to table a large scale development plan for duplexes on West Rainsong Street.

A request to rezone 2.68 acres at 229 N. Broyles St. from agricultural to residential and commercial was tabled at the request of the property owner.

Dustin Higgins with Halff Associates represented D.R. Horton, owners of Wagon Wheel Crossing, at the commission meeting. The preliminary plat shows Phase 2 has 148 lots on 45 acres and is north of Phase 1 off Clyde Carnes Road, west of Farmington High School and east of Twin Falls subdivision.

The storm drainage plan shows water will go into a detention pond and then it will be discharged to the north into the existing ditch for Twin Falls subdivision.

Commission member Judy Horne was one of many who expressed concerns about storm drainage from Phase 2 flooding parts of Twin Falls subdivision. Others who live in Twin Falls also told the commission they were concerned about future flooding because of the development.

One resident, Jared Morris, said he believes Twin Falls was underconstructed from the beginning when it was in the county, outside city limits.

He noted the Phase 2 land now is six to nine acres of open field. After development, he predicted there would be flooding and “some angry people.”

Molli Hillhouse, secretary of Twin Falls Property Owners Assocation, said it may be proven that no more water will drain after development than before development, but she said the drainage plan directs all the water into the Twin Falls detention pond and then into the Twin Falls ditch.

There’s a “big difference,” she said, in water that is spread out and water that is directed to one place.

A resident living on Utah Street in Wagon Wheels Crossing, Phase 1, said the drainage plan is not working for Phase 1. Carolyn Dickerson Russell, who

lives on Utah, said her neighbor’s backyard flooded during a recent rain event.

Her land is next to Phase 2 and she said the first phase apparently is not handling the water and this should be fixed before starting a new phase.

City engineer Chris Brackett with KMS Engineering Integrity said Wagon Wheel has nine acres that flow into the detention pond. When the development is finished, only six acres will drain into the pond, Brackett said.

The natural contour of the land drains into the ditch at Twin Falls, Brackett said.

“It’s draining into the ditch already,” Brackett said.

When the engineering firm submits detailed calculations for the drainage plan, it will have to prove that the ditch is capable of handling the flow. If not, then the engineers will have to revise their plans, Brackett said.

All this is part of the construction plan approval, according to Brackett.

Commission member Chad Ball asked Higgins if D.R. Horton would consider being a “good neighbor” and take out a few residential lots to work on the drainage concerns.

Higgins said he could not answer that question but would be willing to take the request to the owner and developer.

The commission then voted to table the preliminary plat until October to allow time for this discussion.

RAINSONG TOWNHOMES

Jake Chavis with Bates & Associates represented owners Srinivasa Bandaru and Pavathi Neeramachaneni, of Bentonville, on a large scale development plan to build six duplexes, a total of 12 units, on a 2.19-acre vacant lot on Rainsong. Each unit has a single car garage.

The development would have a private street off Rainsong with three buildings on each side of the street and a turnaround at the end of the street to accommodate fire trucks.

Chavis said the land is in a floodplain and the buildings will have to be elevated. Brackett said the development plans will have to be submitted to the floodplain administrator for a floodplain permit and the owners will be required to get flood insurance.

Once again, Horne said she was concerned about flooding from the development.

Chavis said stormwater will not be detained on the property. The idea is to get the water out of there into the stream before the peak flow comes from a rain event, he said.

Commission member Keith Macedo asked if the townhouses met the new requirements for parking spaces. For multi-family developments, city ordinance now requires space for three vehicles, one in a single car garage and two in the driveway or two in a two-car garage and one in the driveway.

The plan did not show there would be enough space for two cars in the driveway.

Chavis asked if the large scale plan could be approved contingent on revising it for parking spaces but commissioners said they preferred to see the changes before approving them. The commission tabled the plan for Chavis to make those revisions before the next meeting.

REZONING REQUEST

McDonald Building Group, LLC, submitted a request to rezone 2.68 acres on Broyles, from agriculture to residential and commercial. If the land is rezoned, then the owner plans to request a lot split so that a parcel with a house on would be zoned residential and the other parcel next to Broyles would be commercial.

The land is adjacent to the electric substation on Broyles.

Ball said he couldn’t support the request because it would be a commercial lot within a residential area.

“It is not in line with the current Land Use Plan,” Ball said.

Macedo said he thought a C-1 zone was too open-ended in what would be allowed on the property. He wondered if another zone would work better.

The property owner decided to table the request for further discussions with the city instead of having the commission vote on it.

MASTER PARK PLAN/ PARKLAND DEDICATION CODE

The commission held two public hearings, one on the Master Park Plan and the other on the Parkland Dedication Code. No one from the public had any questions or comments about the two documents. The commission voted to forward the plan and code to Farmington City Council with its recommendation they both be adopted.