The request would allow for the development of 11 residential lots. The area is currently zoned “R-1” Residence District. Access to the lots would be provided from Tract “A” as shown on Final Plat that will be developed and later dedicated to the City for Street use. Final Plat shows the extension of existing Crusade Drive, which the applicant is requesting to change the name of Crusade Drive to Shelley Court.
Area residents expressed concerns on flooding in the area and indicated that the official floodplain map was incorrect. The residents also expressed the entire area floods and suggested that the homes on the proposed lots would have significant flooding problems. However, as of November 12, 2014 the applicant has received a Letter of Map Amendment (LOMA), with the case number 14-07-2830A from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), removing Lots 1 thru 11 and also “Tract B” from the 100-year and 500-year floodplain.
It should further be noted that for Presecotts Creek to flood these homes, water would need to defy gravity as indicated by the City of Waterloo topographic maps.
Area residents expressed concerns on a number of issues such as the maintenance of the retention pond, flooding, sanitary sewer to Tract B, and questioned if the plat met the health, safety and welfare of the neighborhood. A petition was submitted with 27 signatures along with a letter of opposition from the surrounding neighbors. Staff has prepared a response to the issues raised in the letter of opposition, but would reiterate that the proposed plat is in conformance with the requirements of the Subdivision Ordinance.
The submitted plat is in accordance with the Subdivision Ordinance and can be serviced by extensions of existing utilities, and would appear to provide for the orderly development of land that is compatible to surrounding development. Staff would note that approval of a plat is a technical matter, and the plat should not be denied unless sufficient technical deficiencies in the plat are noted, of which staff is not aware of such deficiencies.
The requirement of detention ponds in subdivisions are now required under the Storm Water Ordinance (which was required by the Federal Government). The design and layout of such detention ponds, and their ownership and maintenance by Homeowners Associations, are common setup for new subdivisions, with at least 5 in existence in Cedar Falls, and the recent Audubon subdivision by Skogman Homes under construction. |