Meadow
Woods plat gets green light in Hyde Park
By Brad Plothow
March 19, 2006 | HYDE PARK -- If Hyde Park's Planning
and Zoning Commission had its way, all homes in the
new Meadow Woods development would be built from the
ground up -- no basements.
Actually, the Commission could have had its way but
decided to not mandate a no-basement resolution on the
development, which will add about 20 homes near 400
South and 200 West in Hyde Park. After about 20 minutes
of deliberation, mostly on the basement-or-none issue,
the Commission approved Meadow Woods' final plat by
a 6-0 vote during the bi-weekly Commission meeting Wednesday.
The Commission's concerns stemmed from the fact that
the subdivision sits atop a water table, and as such
could be prone to flooding. Diverting water away from
basements and into the sewer or street via drains or
new water lines could still create problems with excess
water bogging down the sewer or flooding the streets,
said commissioner David James, who nevertheless didn't
want to amend the city ordinance or pass a resolution
to ban basement building.
"Just making a hard-and-fast resolution doesn't make
sense," James said, who typically is wary of one-size-fits-all
resolutions.
Stuart Howell was the most vocal commissioner on the
topic. He agreed that a blanket no-basement resolution
wasn't the best idea, as some lots will be more prone
to flooding than others. But in making the motion to
approve the plat, Howell added the caveat that the Commission
would prefer that no basements be built.
"It serves the best interest of Hyde Park," Howell
said. "There's no place to send the water except into
the street."
The 10-acre plot where Meadow Woods will be built
belongs to the Earl Daines Family Trust. It was rezoned
to residential last November.
In other business, the Commission unanimously approved
a license for the home-based construction business of
Travis Checketts. The 6-0 vote came after a few minutes
of discussion about home business guidelines, including
keeping tools indoors and closing garages.
Commissioner Mark Lynne opened the floor for public
comment on the Checketts item, but none of the roughly
one dozen attendees spoke up, so Lynne closed the hearing.
Lynne noted in the meeting's opening minutes that
a slew of business licenses have been approved in the
past two weeks that haven't been picked up by the business
owners.
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