News Talk 94.1/AM 1600 Where The Upper Cumberland Talks
Baxter’s Planning Commission will have to examine its sewer capacity as a large development has been proposed for the Dale Mires Lane area.
The commission discussed a preliminary layout for Phase II of the Paddington Place subdivision. City Engineer Tom Bennett said this is the largest subdivision the planning commission has ever had to consider at 230 lots, so it requires further examination.
“There is some territory ahead is the point that we need to discuss,” Bennett said. “It is a big project and it’s going into a very important part of your system that needs some room for some other things as well. And the city is ultimately the one who will have to make that decision.”
Bennett said the city has an existing pump station by the Speedway convenience store that has a very defined limited capacity. He said it is shared with the entire interstate sewer system, so the city will have to decide on the capacity allotment. Bennett said the collective capacity of the sewer system is 298 gallons per minute, and the proposed layout would take about 200 gallons.
Bennett said these types of projects tend to move quickly once developed, so the city must be prepared to have this kind of capacity quickly as well. He said the most meaningful thing for the city to do moving forward is to put more energy in taking a large-picture and a small-picture assessment of the impact of this project.
“What is the city going to feel comfortable with from a lot count which equates to a flow and then I think you can get back with your developer,” Bennett said. “And provide some input to whether is this approvable? Yes, no? Is there an abbreviated portion of this that’s approvable? These are questions the city is going to want answers to at the public works level.”
Developer Jackie Schubert said he plans to have more formal drawings to present at next month’s planning meeting.
