Committee approves 7‑lot subdivision and grants 10‑foot rear‑yard reduction for Lot 5 with covenants

The Community & Economic Development Committee approved a revised seven‑lot single‑family subdivision and granted a 10‑foot rear‑yard variance for Lot 5 (reducing the rear setback from 40 feet to 30 feet) after extended discussion and public comment.

Developer Greg Rose described the redesign from eight lots to seven, said on‑site stormwater detention had been increased substantially (he characterized detention as "nearly 40% more than what was preliminarily approved earlier"), and asked that Lot 5 be permitted a 30‑foot rear yard so the product would be consistent with the neighborhood. Neighbors and residents raised concerns about narrow street width on Kathleen Lane (about 15.5 feet in places), emergency access, long driveways and the visual impact of a closer house or a raised deck. Karen Brady, speaking for Kathleen residents, urged reconsideration of density or reconfiguration to reduce impacts on a substandard street. The developer said the plan would include construction of a compliant cul‑de‑sac and that stormwater and soil conditions would be handled by soils engineers and HOA maintenance.

Committee members negotiated a condition to record a covenant on the plat that would prohibit above‑grade structures or paved surfaces within the rear 20 feet of Lot 5 (a solution similar to other nearby approvals), and split the motion into two votes: first to approve the 7‑lot plat, which passed, and then to approve the 10‑foot rear‑yard reduction, which the committee also approved by recorded roll call. The motion included provisions that a soils engineer be engaged during foundation work and that at‑grade patios be allowed to a limited depth (committee discussed 10–12 feet; the motion referenced a 10‑foot at‑grade patio limit and a covenant).