The Putnam County Planning Commission approved preliminary plans for a 44-lot subdivision along Gainesboro Grade, allowing developers to begin road construction and utility installation.
Putnam County Planning Director Kevin Rush said the Gradeview subdivision will cover approximately 25 acres near Dyer Long Road. Rush said one concern, an entrance, gained T-DOT approval.
“When we looked at this site, we had some concerns with sight distance coming out of the proposed road,” Rush said, “It is the subdivision is located across Gainesboro Grade from Dyer Long Road and we just had some concerns, but it is a state route.”
The plans call for one road with three short cul-de-sacs, with the entrance slightly offset from Dyer Long Road. The connection must meet state requirements before construction can proceed.
“And it will have to be graded and and things will have to happen and the entrance will have to meet all the TDOT requirements for that connection to State Route 290,” Rush said.
Rush said preliminary approval allows the developer to begin grading roads and installing water lines and fire hydrants. County standards require a 50-foot right of way and a 26-foot-wide roadbed, with a gravel base and asphalt. Home construction remains further down the road.
“It will be a while before anything happens in as far as construction of housing in this development because the roads will have to be built,” Rush said. “Now they may do some phases in this. I don’t know if that has been determined yet or not.”
Rush said the developer can complete all 44 lots at once or divide the project into multiple phases. Each phase would require final approval, and the developer must cover the cost of constructing the roads and installing the necessary infrastructure.
Once construction is complete, Rush said the Planning Commission can recommend that the County Commission accept the roads into the county system. Rush said the county also requires a warranty to protect taxpayers from potential construction problems.
“As part of that process we do require that a developer warrant the road for one year after acceptance,” Rush said. “So that during the first year if anything goes wrong with that road, the developer comes back in and fixes it.”
Rush said county officials inspect the roads throughout construction, including conducting a proof-roll using a loaded dump truck to identify soft spots in the roadbed before asphalt is installed.
Rush said the Planning Commission also granted conditional final approval for the 22-lot Trinity Trace subdivision on Rocky Point, covering 14 acres. The commission also approved an eight-lot subdivision on the James and Ernestine Maxwell property off Ditty Road, south of Baxter.