Woodstock council sends three linked Cardinal Woods redevelopment cases back to planning commission after resident concerns

The Woodstock mayor and council on March 23 unanimously remanded three interconnected land‑use requests affecting properties on Robin Court and Ravenwood Drive back to the Planning Commission, citing outstanding survey information and neighborhood compatibility concerns.

Planner Dunn told the council the primary request — a conditional‑use permit (CUP) for 706 Robin Court — would split the parcel into multiple lots and add rear‑loaded units fronting Brownlee Road served by a private alley. Staff flagged a key complication: the applicant’s proposed lot‑line adjustment could extend the CUP to include portions of the adjacent 704 Robin Court parcel without proper notice. Dunn recommended remand so staff could analyze updated surveys and the cases could be considered together with a small‑area plan for Cardinal Woods.

The applicant’s attorney, identified in the record as Parksupp of Sam’s Larkin Huff, said owner Jeff Smith had met with neighbors after the Planning Commission hearing and asked that all three pending cases be considered together and returned to the commission for transparency and further public input.

Neighbors stressed both compromise and caution. Chris Rogers (707 Robin Court), who said he supports a revised plan that reduces frontage on Robin Court and keeps Brownlee frontage largely unchanged, urged the council to keep emergency gates closed for safety and to waive requirements that would create short, isolated sidewalks. “It would be the sidewalk to nowhere,” Rogers said, arguing the cost and lack of connections offered no benefit to the neighborhood.

Resident Michael Daniel (309 Cardinal Drive) told the council the original agreement with developers required fire gates remain closed except for emergency access. He urged the city to enforce that agreement, add signage and consider towing violators.

After brief council discussion emphasizing remand rather than tabling, motions to remand each item — CUP 09325 (706 Robin Court), Variance 220‑25 (704 Robin Court) and Variance 219‑25 (702 Ravenwood Drive) — passed by voice vote, each recorded as carrying 5–0 with one absence (Councilman Usher).

What happens next: the council’s remand returns the three matters to the Planning Commission for additional analysis, survey verification and public input. Staff recommended the items return to the council as part of the April 27 agenda with revised exhibits and any recommended conditions.