A road in a 255-home subdivision proposed for the city’s far northeastern side should not be connected to one in an existing neighborhood, according to a recommendation forwarded Tuesday by the Planning and Development Committee.
The council committee said the city should annex the 55-acre Kingswood development north of Charlestowne Mall but said that allowing the street link would endanger children in the Charlemagne neighborhood.
The road that would connect the two, Oxbow Lane, now runs by a park in Charlemagne. The residents of that subdivision have petitioned the council to forbid the connection.
“We need to control the traffic near that park,” said Ald. James Martin, committee chairman. “The safety of the kids is more important than traffic flow.”
Despite the committee’s 5-1 vote, the issue is not settled. In April, Mayor Fred Norris broke a 7-7 vote in favor of approving a subdivision plat that showed the link, which sent the issue back to committee.
“If this goes through, we will have created a satellite community,” Norris said. “There will only be one way in and out of (Kingswood), and that’s a public safety hazard.”