A plan that will bring 17 new townhouses to Van Dorn Street won approval from the Board of Supervisors on Monday, May 7.
The developers, Michael and Joanne Curtiss, have about 2.4 acres at 5939 Van Dorn Street, opposite Crown Royal Drive. It is currently developed with three houses, all of which will be demolished.
A portion of the plan calls for building a public road through an area that would generally be off-limits, a stream buffer. Development is generally prohibited within 100 feet of a stream, according to state law.
There are exceptions to this prohibition, and this development meets the criteria for them. In this case, the new road will allow about 200 other homes to access South Van Dorn Street, which will improve traffic circulation in the area, according to the staff report.
The developers wrestled with this issue, said their attorney, Greg Riegle. He said that the Curtiss’ recognize that even though they are permitted to encroach into the buffer, that doesn’t necessarily mean they should.
He also said that the development calls for helping to restore other parts of the stream, which have been degraded. "We are actually rehabilitating a much greater area of [stream buffer] that was disturbed," Riegle said.
One neighbor supports the plan. Bruce Shaw, who lives in an adjacent home, said that the property now is in bad shape and needs the revitalization that the new houses will bring. "We are very thrilled to see this happening," he said.
Supervisors Penny Gross (D-Mason) and Linda Smyth (D-Providence) both raised concerns about the environmental aspects of the case.
Supervisor Dana Kauffman (D-Lee) recognized that the plan called for a balancing the need for a road connection with the desire to protect the environment. He said that the Lee District Land Use Committee had studied the proposal intensively, and found the trade to be acceptable.
Supervisors seemed pleased with Kauffman’s explanation, and the proposal was approved unanimously.