Citing concerns over drainage revealed again in the last big rainfall, Pea Ridge Planning Commission members tabled approval of the preliminary plat for Elkhorn Ridge Phase III by Franklin Miller and engineer Tim Lemmons.
Reminding the engineer and developer that concerns had been raised during a tech review meeting, planners cited several concerns about drainage.
Planner Jerry Burton said: "I think we need the McClellan blessing without contingencies... we discussed having no contingencies." McClellan Engineering is providing counsel to the city about engineering.
"It's a fact that current construction going on is causing issues," chairman Zach Hoyt said. "We have existing issues with construction going on out there. I've very leery of approving."
"We've been waiting for an update," Dr. Karen Sherman told Lemmons regarding drainage concerns that were discussed at previous tech review meetings.
"There was a ton of dirt in my neighborhood," Hoyt told Lemmons concerning soil washed into the Maple Glen subdivision from Elkhorn during the most recent rain.
"I saw manholes with red clay mud chugging water out of manholes and drop inlets. You're asking us to move forward and I'm seeing a lot of problems," Sherman said.
"I can't answer for previous design," Lemmons said, explaining that he wasn't the design engineer on the first phases. "The north line of Phase 3 is south line of Phase 2. We will not be combating problems you've had in previous phases."
"I've looked at the property for Phase 4," Sherman said. "There was a tremendous amount of flooding" and a culvert off Dove Road is full of silt off that piece of property, she added. "Red clay is flowing off that property onto the road (Dove Road). The city puts white SB2 (gravel) on it and you can see where it's coming off that property."
"We've had erosion control over there," Miller said. "We're trying to get road ready for curb and gutter. We can't put it up every time we leave."
"So are you willing to come clean out every inlet between the detention pond and the pond where my house is in Maple Glen," Hoyt asked Miller. "Because the city wasn't expecting four inches of rain and inlets full of 5 inches of silt."
Planners told Miller they would be willing to hold a special meeting if concerns are remedied before the next meeting.
In other business, planners:
• Approved a variance request by Mitch Brown for property at 300 Lee Town Dr. by Mitch Brown, who said he plans to add onto his house and requests a smaller set back that code allows. Brown told planners the adjoining property owner did not object.
• Approved a request for a home occupation business by Jesse Bray at 1789 Conrad St., Jesse Bray, who said he is operating a mobile auto detailing and no work is done at the residence.
• Did not act on a home occupation request from John Gibson, 1425 Lee St., as no one was present to make the request.
• Canceled action on a large scale development on Slack Street by Pat Tobin as the engineer told planners he would not be present.
General News on 07/12/2017