By Conrad Dudderar
Staff Writer
A proposed duplex development on Yukon’s east side has cleared a major hurdle and now heads to the city council for final consideration.
The Yukon Planning Commission, by a 3-1 vote, recommended approval of a final plat for Ashton Place at 200 N Yukon Parkway. Commissioner Nick Grba voted “no” at the board’s April 11th meeting.
Developer Ashton Grey LLC, represented by Grubbs Consulting of Yukon, is seeking Yukon City Council approval to build 12 duplex structures (24 units) on a 4.73-acre site east of Yukon Parkway and north of Main Street/Highway 66.
A final plat draft shows 12 lots and a 0.49-acre common area on the northwest corner.
“We have reviewed the staff recommendations within the staff report and agree with all of them,” said engineer Jeremy Been of Grubbs Consulting.
The final plat “conforms” with the property’s zoning designation, Been told planning commissioners.
The Yukon City Council in July 2021 approved rezoning the Yukon Parkway property from restricted commercial to R-2 – two-family residential planned unit development (PUD). A preliminary plat was approved Nov. 16, 2021.
The Yukon Planning Commission previously rejected the Ashton Place request, but the developer was successful in appealing that decision to the city council.
Yukon city staff recommended approval of the final plat.
The Ashton Place developer will provide public water, sanitary sewer and storm sewer improvements to serve the new subdivision, according to engineer Mark Grubbs.
Pending city council approval, the duplex homes will be built on lots not less than 10,000 square feet and all lots will be accessed from a public street.
Proposed street names are Ashton Lane and Grey Street.
A property owners association would be responsible for maintaining the common areas and islands/medians in public rights-of-way.
“We will have the covenants and restrictions in place,” Been said.
Conditions listed on the proposed Ashton Place final plat include installation of sidewalks on all lots including common areas.
“Sidewalks are always required when the structure’s built,” Assistant City Manager Mitchell Hort said. “We wanted to address it, as well, with the PUD.”
With 24 duplex units proposed, one primary issue of concern among neighboring property owners is increased traffic congestion along a two-lane section of Yukon Parkway between Main Street and Wagner Road.
LOTS OF TRAFFIC
Longtime Yukon resident Leon Corn said there is a “tremendous amount of traffic coming through there.”
“It’s not going to get any better,” Corn said. “I don’t think there’s any plans, quickly, for anybody to make a four-lane road out of that.
“It’s congested already with the church and Walmart (Neighborhood Market) there. But it’s nice to have both of them, don’t get me wrong.”
Corn is the builder/developer of River Birch Estates, a neighborhood with 42 single-family homes north of the proposed Ashton Place addition.
Meanwhile, Corn expressed concerns about sanitary sewer and water drainage serving the new duplex development.
The Ashton Place developer must submit documentation to Oklahoma’s Department of Environmental Quality showing these systems are sized properly “to handle our addition”, Been explained.
“We have to prove to ODEQ that we will not exceed any the existing capacity of that line,” he said. “Our detention area has been sized accordingly to maintain the historic discharge rate from that site.”
Matthew Gerred, who lives in the 600 block of Yukon Parkway, believes city leaders must address the street width before more development occurs.
“You guys are going to have to widen it,” Gerred said. “It’s going to have to happen.”
He pointed to newer developments like Yukon Crossing and Preston Park on the west side of Yukon Parkway.
The Ashton Place developer will be required to pay for two lanes of concrete where the addition abuts Yukon Parkway.
Gerred shared other concerns about traffic, drainage and sewage from the proposed duplex development. He referred to plans to rent out these duplexes.
“I get it – we need rental,” he said. “Effectively, they’re just opening an apartment if they’re going to rent them all and they’re not going to be for sale.”
FOUR-LANE THE STREET?
Yukon Planning Commission Chairman Bill Baker asked whether there are any plans to four-lane Yukon Parkway north of Highway 66.
This is one proposed street project among a list of priority infrastructure improvements being considered by the Yukon Capital Project Advisory Board, Hort told commissioners.
The committee will make recommendations to the Yukon City Council on which items to include on a proposed election ballot.
Yukon city officials also hope to secure federal stimulus funds to help with infrastructure projects, Hort added.
