Clay County board approves rezoning and plats for Thomas Ridge Estates despite neighbor objections

The Clay County Planning and Zoning Board on March 3 approved a rezoning request and preliminary and final plats for Thomas Ridge Estates, a proposed three-lot subdivision at approximately 19121 Thompson Road.

Planning staff recommended approval of case PZ26-105 after concluding the proposal met two exceptions in the county Comprehensive Plan: creation of a 5-acre farmstead lot around a pre-1985 house and consistency with the median lot size within a half-mile radius. Kip, the planning staff member who presented the case, said the property is about 23 acres, that Lot 1 would retain the existing house on roughly 5 acres, and that Lots 2 and 3 would be just over 9 acres each. Staff reported a computed median lot size of 10.09 acres in the surrounding half-mile and said the proposed lots (about 9.09 acres) fall within the one-acre consistency threshold. Kip also told the board that water, fire, health (septic) and road-and-bridge reviews submitted by the applicant returned no objections and that staff recommended approval with one condition tied to changes listed in Exhibit A.

At least one nearby resident urged denial. Damon Moorefield, who lives on Northeast 192nd Street, said the exception would establish a local precedent that “will allow the half-mile exception rule” to be used repeatedly and warned the area could be subdivided “until the land … becomes a suburb.” Moorefield said neighbors he and his family spoke with oppose the change because they want to preserve the rural character.

Applicant Jennifer Westfall, who identified herself for the record, said the proposal is consistent with adjoining properties and that approvals from outside agencies are in hand. “Lot 1 is roughly like 5 acres, and Lot 2 and 3 are approximately like 9.9 acres,” Westfall said, adding she expects the parcels to remain “very rural in nature.”

Board members acknowledged neighbors’ concerns about incremental subdivision but repeatedly noted the proposal conforms to the Comprehensive Plan and the exceptions were added after public comment during the plan process. One member summarized the tradeoff as a compromise: protecting agricultural land while allowing property owners some flexibility to divide older farmsteads.

The board approved three motions in sequence: rezoning the property to Residential Ranch with the agricultural land preservation overlay for Lots 2 and 3, approval of the preliminary plat, and approval of the final plat with the condition set out in Exhibit A. Roll-call voting as recorded in the hearing produced affirmative votes for those motions and the chair announced each motion carried.

Staff additionally noted a new monthly building-permit activity report will be distributed to board members, and that a Perdau well-water request heard by the commission last month had been approved by the County Commission.

The board adjourned after the items on the agenda were concluded.