Some residents even expressed concerns why Vice Mayor Christina McElfresh, a Monroe Realtor and member of the Planning Commission, was allowed to vote last month that sent the legislation to council. They said that’s a conflict of interest.
The public hearing drew a large crowd and the second reading of the ordinance will be heard at the next meeting on June 24.
Mayor Keith Funk, after listening to the 45-minute public hearing, said council has “a lot o review” before its next meeting.
Tom Smith, the city’s development director, said the Tall Oaks PUD was approved in 2006 and comprised of 200 lots and specified Ryan Homes as the approved builder.
Two years later, after the 2008 recession, Ryan Homes pulled out of the agreement, the city said.
The first phase, consisting of 15 homes, has been the only phase constructed with some of those homes having two lots, according to city documents.
During an April 15 Planning Commission meeting, a public hearing was held and the commission reviewed an application submitted by CKN Development LLC proposing an amendment to the existing Tall Oaks PUD and preliminary plat.
Developer Jeff Hayes said he wants to complete 124 acres of the Tall Oaks subdivision consisting of 201 buildable lots in addition to those already platted (226 total lots).
Residents said they don’t understand why the development has to grow from 200 to 226 lots and they’re concerned about strain that would put on city services, the school system and traffic congestion in the area.
The commission tabled the application, instructing the applicant to meet the lot sizes from the existing PUD in certain phases.
Last month, the commission conducted a second review of the application, and in a vote of 3-1, with one member of the commission excused, the commission moved to recommend approval of the amendment to the Tall Oaks PUD and preliminary plat.
Michael Watkins, one of those who spoke against the proposed change, built his home in 2016 on two lots totally about .6 acres, he said.
If council approves the new PUD it would lower the standards in the subdivision and devalue the 12 homes already built, he said.
“It’s unfair,” Watkins told the Journal-News after the meeting. “We built with a certain expectation. We had to meet certain standards.”
The development is broken into five phases, and residents said they want phases 1, 2 and 3 to have the same lot sizes and home requirements. They said phases 4 and 5 could have lower standards.
Hayes said he hopes city council “sees the merits” of the changes. He called Tall Oaks “a good development for the city.”
He said the homes would cost about $500,000.
About the Author
