Commissioners push developer to revise Willow Village / Cherokee Barn Phase 2 plan to match form‑based code

Developers seeking approval for the Willow Village / Cherokee Barn phase 2 concept presented a mixed product plan that includes single‑family lots, two‑story townhomes and three‑story rear-entry townhomes with potential first-floor commercial along 900 South.

Commissioners and planning staff spent an extended work-session discussion assessing whether the current layout meets the county’s form-based code and the general plan’s expectations for frontages, lot widths, alley access and usable open space. Several commissioners observed that many proposed lots are roughly 42 feet wide, which creates design constraints and risks rows of garage-facing frontages on public streets. One commissioner recommended rear-loaded garages with alleys and the creation of front courtyards to provide safer, usable public space; another suggested reducing building footprints (six‑plex instead of eight‑plex units) or stacking vertically (first-floor commercial with apartments above) where higher density is appropriate.

Staff and commissioners also emphasized intersection/connectivity and parking/delivery logistics for mixed-use buildings and urged the developer to align any dense blocks with form‑based standards (façade variation, offsets, rear access). Commissioners recommended removing or reconfiguring one internal row of units to create a central courtyard/frontage area, broadening the form‑based area toward 900 South where commercial frontage is intended, and pursuing a park/open-space strategy that matches earlier general-plan assumptions.

The developer said the plan had been designed to show maximum potential and welcomed the feedback, noting they can scale back density, change product types, or explore purchasing adjacent parkland if feasible. Commissioners asked the applicant to revise plans and return to a future work session with adjustments reflecting the form‑based code requirements, clearer rear-loading arrangements, parking/delivery solutions and a refined open-space plan.

Next steps: Applicant to revise the concept plan with attention to form‑based code limits, rear-loading/alley access and open space; staff to coordinate internal review and return the project to a future work session.