Duck Planning Board votes to recommend changes to Scarborough Lane Shoppes and recognizes outgoing board member – The Coastland Times

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Duck Planning Board member Tim McKeithan, second from left, was recognized at the March 8 meeting for his dedicated service on the board since 2012. He was joined from left by his wife Roisin McKeithan and fellow board members Joe Blakaitis, Marc Murray and James Cofield to deliver the certificates. Photo by Philip S. Ruckle Jr

Duck Planning Board member Tim McKeithan, second from left, was recognized at the March 8 meeting for his dedicated service on the board since 2012. He was joined from left by his wife Roisin McKeithan and fellow board members Joe Blakaitis, Marc Murray and James Cofield to deliver the certificates. Photo by Philip S. Ruckle Jr

After the March 8 Duck Planning Board meeting opened, CEO James Cofield briefly deviated from the printed agenda to present fellow board member Tim McKeithan with a certificate of appreciation.

As previously announced, McKeithan resigned effective the end of the March 8 meeting, which is nearly two months before the end of his current three-year term.

During the presentation, Cofield noted that McKeithan has served regularly since 2012, has always been prepared for meetings and has been a key contributing member of the board.

Duck City Council is expected to appoint two new planning committee members at its April meeting. One will replace McKeithan and another will replace Randy Morton, who also resigned but did not attend Wednesday’s meeting.

Returning to the printed agenda, the Board next reviewed a special use permit application from Savage Land, LLC to expand the Scarborough Lane Shoppes at 1171 Duck Road by adding an outdoor dining and entertainment area.

Although it is located in the Village Commercial District, it was noted during the discussion that the applicant is not seeking any exemptions or exemptions from the guidelines.

More than 30 independent commercial units, built prior to the incorporation of the City of Duck in 1995, operate together as a single 30,000 square foot development in four retail buildings located on two adjacent lots.

According to community development director Joe Heard, the proposed improvements will be at the back of the property and will be approximately 1,800 square feet, making up a small portion of the four-acre site. He went on to say that all changes meet all setback requirements and that parking calculations round up to 171 spaces, of which 176 already exist.

In response to Cofield’s inquiry about entry or exit issues, Heard stated that there are three vehicle access points that comply with city ordinances and none will be added.

When Cofield asked if any measures were planned to limit noise complaints, David Klebitz, an engineer with Bissell Professional Group, advised that most of the existing trees and shrubs, which would act as buffers, and the existing elevation would be retained An 18-foot change around the proposed development area would also contain some of the noise.

At the end of the discussion, the board recommended the approval of the council with a score of 4:0.

Other topics of the evening included approving an amendment to the property cover definition in Section 156.002 of the Zoning Ordinance to allow alternative ground cover materials such as permeable pavers and artificial turf, subject to certification by an engineer or documentation of installation to manufacturer specifications and a Amendment to the Land Use Regulations to allow permeable surfaces such as permeable sidewalks or artificial turf to be used as part of the cover calculation, provided the property owner provides written confirmation that the surface material has been installed and maintained to manufacturer specifications.

Minutes of the February 8 meeting were also approved and it was noted that there would be an open house for a neighborhood stormwater management study on March 30 at City Hall from 4:30pm to 6:30pm. Anyone interested can speak to city officials and the project team for updates on stormwater management projects and to learn more about possible recommendations.

The next scheduled meeting of the Planning Committee is April 12 at 6:30 p.m

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