Bella Vistas commissioners OK planned neighborhood

BELLA VISTA -- The Planning Commission voted to recommend approval for a neighborhood development project headed by Cooper Homes.

The commission voted Monday, 4-1 with commission members Theresa Neal and Jamie Kemp recusing.

The recommendation is contingent on Cooper providing a 50-feet right turn lane on Dogwood Drive, which it agreed to after the last commission work session.

The development would consist of 48 single-family homes. Buyers would choose from five floor plans. Cooper Homes proposed the development as a planned zoning district, which means the plan is submitted upfront rather than piecemeal.

The meeting was heavily attended by both concerned homeowners and Cooper representatives. The proposal has been a subject of controversy for residents who live near the development since plans became public.

Mayor Peter Christie, who addressed the commission during the time for public comments, said he was mostly pleased with the developer's handling of the skepticism shown by residents.

"The developer has met or exceeded all the minimum standards we require," Christie said. "[The zoned district] is a much more transparent and open process than the alternative."

Commission member Shawki Al-Madhoun was the sole "no" vote. Al-Madhoun was unsatisfied with the traffic report provided, saying it didn't have information on the safety of the intersection of Dogwood Drive and Lancashire Boulevard.

"Are we going to guess with people's livelihood, or their safety?" Al-Madhoun said. "Be my guest, but I'm not."

Community Development Services Director Chris Suneson said the commission can add any conditions to the vote it feels necessary, but he, as the city engineer, was satisfied with the traffic report.

"[The intersection] is bad now, and it's going to be bad after this development," Suneson said. "We have approximately 13,500 trips per day that go through that street. The addition of however many this development will add to that will not decrease significantly the level of service at that intersection."

Last month, a number neighboring residents hired attorney Bill Watkins to represent them during the planning and approval process. Watkins argued the residents were asking for reasonable concessions from the developers. Namely, Watkins asked for a dedicated 50-foot lane to be added to account for excessive traffic, architecture that's diverse and matching nearby homes, and a sidewalk be included throughout the neighborhood.

Cooper has agreed to pay for the dedicated lane.

The proposal now moves to the City Council, which will next meet Feb. 22.

NW News on 02/09/2016

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