JAMES WOOD

Staff Writer

Courtney and Drew Clardy’s W Jackson St. duplex plan was sent to the City Council with an unfavorable recommendation by the Planning Commission during its March 26 meeting due to strong concerns of flood risks.

The Clardys appeared before the commission after the plan had been sent back by the City Council for reconsideration during the January regular session.

Various criticisms regarding the safety of the plan arose when the commission discussed the proximity of the development to a floodplain along the Duck River.

Chuck Glover, a resident who lives near the proposed development, shared his worry over the history of the area with flooding during the public comment period of the meeting.

“I’ve seen that road due to flooding several times over the years,” continued Glover. “I’ve seen fields flooding and water to the back door of Tyson, so I can assure you there are some water issues in that area.”

Nathan Melson from St. John Engineering represented the couple during the meeting and attempted to clarify the steps the developer would take to mitigate the risks of flooding and other problems in the plan.

He put forward a plan to add an additional access road to the development to provide more space for incoming and outgoing traffic.

“We can’t have access driveways directly on the main road because it’s a major collector because you have industrial traffic,” Melson continued. “What we’re trying to propose or at least showing in this is a pull-off road.”

He further emphasized that this concept would alleviate potential concerns for potential residents of the duplexes during flood events.

“We’re not trying to just slap something in here and then hope for the best,” Melson said.

Additional changes had been made to the plan, including a plan to move dirt from the floodplain in the back of the property to build a steeper slope to ensure less risk for the development.

According to the Public Works Department, the area has flooded approximately once per year.

Planning Commissioner Dawn Gonzales was skeptical of this idea due to the dangers of sheet runoff.

“You’re going to have runoff that you’re assuming is going to be taken care of on the land,” Gonzales said. “But then the Duck River might rise and take that sheet runoff with it.”

Councilmember Josh Blevins shared the same sentiment, making a motion to send the plan to the City Council with an unfavorable recommendation, with Gonzales seconding.

“From a planning standpoint, this has gotten worse than when it was here two months ago,” Blevins continued. “So the council will have the opportunity to look at it again from what their concerns were.”

The Commission voted 7 – 1 in favor of Blevins’ motion, with Planning Commissioner Steve Taylor being the lone vote against it.

This item will be reviewed once again during the City Council’s April 9 meeting.