Planning commission grants waiver for Griffin Park development
A requirement regarding the primary entrance for the Griffin Park at Eagle Point development has been waived, following the Shelby County Planning Commission’s first meeting in November.
The requirement to construct and dedicate the primary entrance to the development with the first record map was established in October 2016, as a condition of the planning commission’s approval of the preliminary plat for Griffin Park at Eagle Point. According to the preliminary plat, the primary entrance was at the intersection of Eagle Point Drive and Eagle Point Parkway, connected to Sector 2, Phase 1 of the development.
At the Nov. 6 planning commission meeting, Senior Planner Sharman Brooks explained the commissioners the request, which was submitted by Glenn Siddle with Newcastle Homes. Griffin Park at Eagle Point is being developed in two sectors, by two developers, and Sector 1, Phase 1 is progressing faster than Sector 2, Phase 1, Brooks said.
Newcastle Homes is developing Sector 1, and Harris and Doyle is developing Sector 2.
Siddle requested the entrance requirement be waived, Brooks said, for several reasons, in order to prevent delays in Sector 1. The “main entrance” would not provide access to Sector 1 at this time, according to the applicant, and is not under the control of Newcastle Homes.
“This really has come down to a timing issue,” said Wade Lowery, vice president of engineering for Engineering Design Group. EDG is acting as the civil engineer for both sectors of Griffin Park at Eagle Point. Newcastle is “at the finish line,” Lowery said, and ready to start building if the exception was granted.
Brooks said the planning staff looked at the request like a waiver from other engineering standards, and that was how it was presented to the commission. A waiver must be recommended by the county engineer and development services manager, according to tonight’s meeting packet, and both had reviewed the request, Brooks said.
The development services manager and county engineer commented on the request, noting that because there were only 30 lots in Sector 1, and it will have an access point on Eagle Point Drive, the highway department did not have a problem with the request. While they gave the opinion that the exception should be granted, however, it was with the caveat that the exception would only apply to Sector 1, Phase 1.
“[A]ll future sectors should comply with the original planning commission approval requirement so that the primary entrance may be utilized for all future phases,” they said in comments.
The planning commission had no questions for Lowery or staff, and the request was unanimously approved.
Also at the meeting, the planning commission approved a variance request for a property located at 3214 Mountain Ridge Circle. The request came from Tom Werk with Innovative Building Services on behalf of the property owner, and was for a 10-foot variance, bringing the front yard setbacks down from 50 feet to 40 feet.
The variance request was approved 7-0.