Portage Plan Commission’s unanimous vote Wednesday meant a lot for Sandy Trails subdivision. Literally.
The commission had denied a request last month to restore a lot that had mistakenly been omitted from plans provided to the city along the way during one of many revisions. It was a scrivener’s error, a single line that would have delineated the lot.
Commission attorney Scott McClure explained last month that if the commission voted to not allow that lot to be added back in, it would become a “no man’s land.”
The amendment sought Wednesday to restore the lot was on the agenda under Planning and Community Development Director Tom Cherry’s name.
The commission voted unanimously Wednesday, with no discussion, to approve Cherry’s request.
Before opening the doors to the public for Wednesday’s public meeting, the commission met in a private executive session to discuss threatened litigation.
The subdivision will be built south of U.S. 6. It’s one of several that the city is planning to include in a residential tax increment financing district. The approvals for that TIF haven’t been granted yet, but the City Council approved police raises this year with the expectation that the TIFs will be approved to generate the funds essential to paying those raises, retroactive to Jan. 1.
Sandy Trails will feature paired housing. Among the investors is Donald Trump Jr., who visited Portage in July to sit in on a meeting with Lotton Development and Portage officials to discuss the subdivision plans.
The plan underwent numerous revisions as neighbors urged that a wooded area be preserved. The final plan includes most of that wooded area being preserved.
In addition, each lot built will have a tree, with the city determining which species are allowed to be planted.
The homes are designed to be maintenance-free.
In other business, the commission approved demolishing the Zip Liquor Center store at 6220 Melton Road and replacing it with a new liquor store and gas station at the site.
Commission President Denise Little asked Cherry about member Victor Mendoza, whose prolonged absence from meetings means he should be replaced. That’s going to happen, Cherry promised.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.