3:51 PM Monday, February 26, 2024
The city of Plymouth is reviewing a proposed housing development on the site of a former horse riding club.
The proposed development is near the Maple Grove border just north of Chankahda Trail. The area is surrounded by single-family homes.
A developer, identified in city documents as Sai Brinda LLC, is proposing 22 single-family homes on the former Silver Buckle Saddle Club property.
While the city’s comprehensive plan calls for homes, residents have raised concerns on the proposed access to the development, which would require a new public street connection from a residential neighborhood to the east. The new street connection would utilize 60th Place North.
“As several people have already said, the proposed path to get into the development coming through the east is three times as far as if you were coming off of Chankahda Trail,” said Andy Augustine, who lives near the proposed development. “And as they say it’s very windy and a lot of kids in the neighborhood.”
A connection off of Chankahda Trail would require the taking of private property by the developer, an option the city doesn’t consider financially feasible. Chris McKenzie, engineering services manager for the city of Plymouth, says access incorporating nearby neighborhood streets as opposed to an additional access point off Chankahda Trail is reasonable given the expected level of additional traffic.
Chloe McGuire, the city’s planning and development manager, said access off Chankahda Trail was looked at “extensively.”
McKenzie also explained how adding access off Chankahda Trail, considered an arterial road, would likely increase crashes on that thoroughfare.
Site of proposed housing development at 16700 Chankahda Trail
Planning Commission members, however, felt access off Chankahda Trail should be maintained for construction vehicles until the subdivision is nearly complete, a condition added to the commission’s resolution.
“I cannot imagine the cement trucks, the lumber trucks, the sheetrock trucks, all the materials being delivered to these [new] houses through the existing neighborhood to the east,” said Marc Anderson, planning commission member.
The planning commission recommended approval by a 4-2 vote. Members Julie Olson and Neha Markanda, who favored additional access off Chankahda Trail, voted no.
“These are always very difficult situations, especially when we’re limited by the authority that we have,” said Michael Boo, chair of the Plymouth Planning Commission at the Feb. 21 meeting. “I regret that we can’t come up with a better solution.”
The Plymouth City Council has the final say. It’s expected to review the proposal at the March 12 meeting.