Aldermen Approve Subdivision
Aldermen voted to approve the Planning Commission’s recommendation to authorize the new subdivision after the specs meet zoning requirements.
WATER VALLEY – Aldermen voted unanimously at their monthly meeting on Oct. 2 to approve the city’s Planning Commission’s recommendation to authorize the development of a new 13.75 acre subdivision on Market Street that will create 27 single-family lots for homes.
Mayor Donald Gray explained that the Water Valley Planning Commission had reviewed the plans for the proposed neighborhood development during a meeting on Sept. 17 and determined there were no issues under the city’s current zoning laws. The planning commission also requested the Board of Aldermen to review the plans with the city’s department heads to ensure there were no issues with the subdivision tying into current city infrastructure.
Aldermen gave the project their approval after Gray provided an overview of the development, explaining that each lot will be 12,500 square feet, meeting the zoning requirements for R1 Single Family Residential. Gray said the property, known in the past as the Howell property, is located just west of the high school softball field. He also explained that Oxford-based Williams Engineering Consultants designed the subdivision.
“These were some of the best engineered plans laid out to the Planning Commission,” Gray added about the development. “They are going to do all of the dirt work, the construction of streets, sidewalks and curbs, erosion control, everything that is required of them in the zoning ordinance. I think the houses will list between $225,000 to $250,000. This will be a nice development,” Gray added.
According to the Planning Commission minutes, Joey Moore attended the Sept. 17 meeting, representing Bennett Hill on the development. The development will start with an initial phase of nine lots, but Gray explained that all of the layout and erosion control on the tract will be completed before construction on the first house starts.
“I am excited to see someone investing this much,” Ward 1 Alderman Kagan Coughlin said.
“It’s a huge investment, they have already purchased the land and the engineering alone didn’t come cheap,” Gray noted.
“It’s wonderful news for Water Valley,” Alderman-at-Large Herbie Rogers added.
Aldermen also voted to send notices to two property owners requesting their property be cleaned up as part of an ongoing attack on blight in Water Valley. Last month aldermen agreed to target two houses per month that are dilapidated, abandoned or burned out and deemed a threat to the public health, safety and welfare of the community.
The houses targeted at last week’s meeting include a burned-out house at 805 Thornton Street Cove and a second house on Market Street that also burned several years ago. The property owners will receive a notice to appear at a public hearing next month. During the hearing, city officials will allow the property owners to present evidence before making a final determination if the properties are a threat and are in need of cleanup.
If aldermen vote to move forward with the cleanup following the public hearing, the property owner can request time to clean up or the city can move forward using city crews or an outside contractor to clean up the property.
Any costs incurred by the city for the work are assessed to the property taxes for the property.
