The Planning Commission approved a 61-townhouse project on Clayton Road near Southern High School despite significant traffic concerns, voting 6-2 to recommend the development to City Council. Commissioners Carmen Williams and Shagaris voted no, with Williams calling it "a really good plan in a bad location" due to existing congestion at school pickup and dropoff times. Neighbors testified that Clayton Road is already nearly impassable during high school hours, and the single access point makes it impossible to exit driveways safely. The developer, Peter Ditto, is including nine affordable units at 80 percent of area median income for 30 years and a 10-foot shared use path along Clayton Road.
Multiple residents asked whether the commission could require traffic lights at nearby intersections, but transportation staff explained the development doesn't trigger mandatory traffic impact studies under current rules, so traffic signal installation cannot be required as a condition. Residents expressed frustration that the developer isn't responsible for addressing school-related congestion despite adding 61 new households. Neighbors also pushed for sidewalk connections to Southern High School, but the developer declined to commit to filling gaps on properties outside his ownership because doing so would require easements from unwilling neighbors.
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