WhitehouseTexas.com

In a second setback, developer Ricky Casey was denied the annexation and R-1.5 initial zoning he requested for a tract of 11.27 acres adjacent to city limits in the southwest quadrant of Whitehouse by City Council Tuesday night. The council tabled his request for 90 days to six months to seek answers to several questions that have not been satisfactorily answered.

One of the biggest questions is whether or not sufficient water at the proper pressure will be available to the fire department in case of fire in the new subdivision which is in an area served by Walnut Grove Water Supply.

If Walnut Grove is unable to meet the needs of the fire department, and the answer to that was in doubt according to Fire Chief Ronny Fite, then protecting the homes in the new subdivision, and the costs of doing so, would fall to Whitehouse. Other concerns involved traffic and infrastructure needs that might fall on Whitehouse to supply.

Casey had come before the city earlier on Sept. 15 seeking annexation and R-2 zoning for a larger, almost 25 acre, tract in the same location between Summer Place and Maji roads, despite being rejected by the city�s Planning and Zoning Committee. Numerous citizens spoke out against his proposed Somerset subdivision at that first meeting. Their primary concern was lot size and the disparity between the proposed subdivision and the subdivisions surrounding it and the resulting potential for lowering of their property values. Other concerns mentioned were water and sewer service.

Most of those complaining said if the lot sizes were bigger they would have no objections to the development. Most lots in the adjacent neighborhoods are a half-acre or more.

At the Sept. 15 meeting, the council took no action. Casey�s return Tuesday was with a portion of his original plat, with larger lots. However, in a public hearing for the annexation, once again citizens spoke out against the development. They unanimously asked the city council to require a minimum R-1 zoning which requires a minimum lot size of 12,500 square feet. One speaker even requested that the city make R-1 zoning the norm for all new residential development.

It was noted that of 30 lots in the subdivision plat, only three met city requirements. Casey sought variances on the others, including side setbacks of as little as five feet. One complaining citizen said that though he was not as athletic as he used to be, he could probably jump from rooftop to rooftop with those setbacks.

It was also pointed out that city fire trucks would have a difficult time maneuvering on culde sacs with the plat�s listed 50� radius.

There was a big difference in Casey�s first and second visits to the city council. On Sept. 15, he came despite a unanimous rejection by the city�s Planning and Zoning Committee. On Tuesday, he came with the P&Z Committee�s unanimous approval. One member of that committee said after the meeting that the approval was a compromise, a �political� move to preser ve gains (in larger lot sizes), since over the past several years the city council has seemed all too willing to allow developers to go around the committee.