The Putnam County Planning Commission granted preliminary approval a new Subdivision on Martin Creek Road.
Putnam Planning Commission Director Kevin Rush introduced the proposal for the five-lot subdivision, which includes plans for sidewalks, a 24-inch water line, and sprinklered houses. The decision followed a discussion about the visibility of lot boundaries and the need for physical markers on the property. Rush said he and Commission Member Patrick Rinks visited the site but struggled to identify the specific lot boundaries due to heavy brush and overgrowth along the road.
“At this point, I would like to see this come back next month with for final, and do preliminary tonight,” Rush said. “Next month, come back with final and let them clean up the brushes and, and put the, the lot line stakes where they can be seen. That way anybody who goes out there to look at the subdivision will know exactly where the lot lines are.”
Rush said lot lines must be identifiable before the planning commission can review a plat. Chairman David Mattson echoed Rush’s opinion and said lot lines need to be identified when considering future plats.
“Well, I just don’t want to set a habit of preliminary plats coming to us and no stakes since it’s in our regulations to have stakes out there,” Mattson said. “I think it’s short-sighted to ask people to go out to evaluate these subdivisions if you can’t tell what’s what on the plats.”
Rush said that once soil work is completed, the lots should be staked because the subdivision plan can be adjusted if issues arise. He also said that while some lots may require driveway cuts through a small bank, the primary issue remained the inability to see the stakes.
Surveyor Lee Wilson explained why the corner stakes had not been placed.
“I did not set corners yet because I was waiting to… inherently waiting on you guys to see if something needed to be changed,” Surveyor Lee Wilson said. “But we can definitely put out stakes.”
Rush said the nearest six-inch water line is located approximately one mile away at Highway 56. He said the distance exceeds the 2,000-foot minimum for five lots, which triggers the requirement for residential sprinklers.
Rinks said there were concerns regarding whether lot four, a triangular tract, would be too small given the soil area and the way the land drops off. Rush said the developer should bring the plat back for final approval next month, once the land is staked off, so the commission can verify the ground matches the proposal.
In other business, a discussion item regarding a proposal from Wilson was postponed. One planning commission member said he recommended that Wilson submit a written proposal to his office first so it can be reviewed by the county attorney for legal feasibility.
“Sorry for just the last-minute change but I just had some conflicts that I needed to be able to get it all ready and present in a professional manner, but it’s partly just based on my experience as a surveyor but also on just a citizen of the county as well, so that’s how it’s going to be presented,” Wilson said.