The city will be able to build its coveted collector street in the southeast section of town after working out a deal with a developer to route the road through the new subdivision.
In approving the annexation and preliminary plat for the proposed 51-acre Prairie Trail development, the city has sent a signal that it means to preserve an 80-acre right of way between Kirk and Hart Roads.
“This enables us to begin working with all the other landowners,” said Ald. Wendy Lee, vice chair of the Community Development Committee. “After this we pretty much now know where the road is going to be built.”
The proposed street, dubbed the Southeast Pass, was in jeopardy last month when Prairie Trails developer, Beechen and Dill, asked that the city not route the street through its project.
Other nearby property owners voiced similar sentiments.
But City Engineer Ted Bergeson said his staff worked out a compromise with Beechen and Dill representatives, designing a slight curve in the collector street that allows the developer to build a maximum of 91 homes and avoids placing the road near the other affected properties.
“It’s not as straight as we wanted it to be, but it will still serve its purposes,” Bergeson said.
Officials said the Southeast Pass is necessary to accommodate the increased traffic from new developments east of Kirk Road and north of Butterfield Road.
The city plans to make developers build the milelong road as their property is developed.
More Top Picks Best Spy Cameras
The section in the Prairie Trails subdivision will be the first pavement on the new road.