By Bill Short
The Millington Planning Commission has approved the Final Plat for the planned Barrett Oaks residential subdivision west of Raleigh-Millington Road across from Juana Drive.
Commission members took the action during their May 17 regular monthly meeting on a motion offered by Chairman Chuck Hurt Jr. and seconded by Vice Chairman Brett Morgan.
The motion was passed by six affirmative votes, with member Leanna Dagen absent.
PFMT Holding LLC owns a 24.82-acre tract zoned R-2, Medium-Density Residential, west of Raleigh-Millington and desires to develop the site into a 49-lot subdivision.
Charles Goforth, planning consultant for the city, said each of the lots will exceed 8,000 square feet.
The commission unanimously approved the Site Plan for the subdivision at its Jan. 19 meeting.
Goforth recalled that, when the subdivision was initially proposed in November 2018, the planning staff had concerns about drainage issues. He noted that a flood study was subsequently conducted, and the results have been submitted to the Federal Emergency Management Agency for review.
“There were no set building elevations for this particular property,” he said, “and those have been established now.”
Goforth said the subdivision was reduced from the originally proposed 74 lots to 49, because a “hole” must be dug to obtain dirt to raise the lots. He noted that the northernmost lots will have at least 5 feet of “fill” on them to ensure that they are out of the flood plain.
In response to a question by commission member Mike Caruthers, Goforth said the “hole” on the property will actually be a 20-foot-deep lake, with the water coming from the drainage system.
“The water’s already coming down there,” he noted. “They’re just going to capture it.”
When Caruthers asked whether the water will evaporate, Goforth said not with the lake that deep.
“The lake is designed with a shelf,” he noted, “where you’ve got a flat section that’s got water on it, but it’s not very deep. Then, it drops off, once you get farther out into the water.”
In response to a question by Caruthers at the May 17 meeting, Goforth acknowledged that the houses on the lots adjacent to Raleigh-Millington Road will be “facing into the subdivision.”
But he noted that a 25-foot-tall landscape screen with trees and shrubbery and a 6-foot-tall wood “privacy” fence will be installed.
When Caruthers asked how far the fence will be from the road, Goforth said it will actually be 35 feet from the curb.
He also noted that a Homeowners Association must be established on the subdivision before the Final Plat is recorded, and “evidence” of it must be shown on the recorded plat.
So, when a piece of property is purchased, Goforth said, the buyer will know that he is part of the association and subject to its rules regarding maintenance responsibilities.
At its March 8 regular monthly meeting, the Millington Board of Mayor and Aldermen unanimously adopted a resolution approving a Development Agreement for construction of the subdivision.
The resolution noted that the required Site Plan bond or optional cash payment with Escrow Agreement will require the board’s approval prior to its release.
Goforth said the water, sewer and inspection fees on the subdivision total $49,000.
“When the builders take out the permits,” he noted, “there’s an additional $1,290 for sewer and water tap fees. The bond on this particular subdivision is $1.149 million.”
