At the December Planning and Zoning meeting, Marty Hackett, representative of CLSI, a civil engineering group that specializes in development plans, reintroduced Garnet Ridge’s concept site plans for approval. Garnet Ridge, an active adult retirement community, was originally approved for 50 condominiums but is now seeking approval as a subdivision. The difference in design provides homeowners in a subdivision with ownership of the land their home is built on and the home itself versus condominium ownership only includes ownership of the condo itself.
Hackett said the layout of the development would remain the same; the only change would be to add lot lines that would distinguish each dwelling's lot from its neighbor. The dwellings would be either in a duplex or triplex style, which would limit a homebuyer from being able to customize the outside appearance of their home. The current setbacks for the dwellings allow for purchased additions such as morning rooms and decks without needing additional waivers. As a retirement community, there is no requirement to mix detached and attached homes.
Garnet Ridge HOA would be responsible for maintenance on roads, sidewalks, lawn care and snow removal, as well as utilities, in a similar structure as Carol Vista. Homeowners would own the exterior of the dwelling as opposed to condominiums where the HOA usually owns exterior walls and even some interior walls.
Since Garnet Ridge was originally presented to the town in May, before the overlay was implemented, the subdivision concept plan includes front-loading garages and no alleys, which is not permitted typically in a Community Village.
The plan currently shows only one way in and one way out with hopes for an emergency exit through the future Sewells’ property development.
Council Member Dan Myers asked, "Does this layout support our small-town atmosphere? The density leads me to think it does not." Current density tables range between 2.4 percent to 4 percent with Garnet Ridge being a higher 3.47 percent. Hackett replied, "the density is a part of the original annexation agreement and was approved years ago. All we did was fine tune it." Myers also pointed out that there are currently no amenities such as shopping centers, parks, or restaurants within walking distance from the subdivision giving it a low walkability score.
Myers expressed concern over street parking, especially regarding fire truck safety. The current plan showed streets at 26.8 feet wide, curb to curb, with room for parking on one side of the street. A motion was made to increase the streets width to 28 feet from curb to curb, allowing an 8 foot parallel parking spot and 20 feet of roadway.
Barry Garner, the newest Planning and Zoning Member, questioned if the garage setbacks were too short for a car to be fully parked on the parking pad. He referenced a recent visit to Carol Vista where he observed 17 cars parked over the sidewalks and was concerned the same occurrence would happen at Garnet Ridge. Hackett replied, "That is 17 cars out of 400. It is not right but people will do it regardless of the parking pad size." Hackett explained that the pads would be 18 to 20 feet wide and 16 to 18 feet long depending on the lot size. "We will try to make each pad a minimum of 18 feet which is a standard parking space," said Hackett.
The change for Garnet Ridge was approved through a split vote with Chairman Parker being the deciding vote in approval.
