July 12, 2023 |
Photo – Final Plat of Royal Springs Subdivision – by Matt Copeland Bigfoot99
The Saratoga town council approved a new subdivision during yesterday’s special meeting.
As reported by Bigfoot99, Bryan Drake, of Triple D Construction, and Dr. Michael Janssen, owner of the Saratoga Hot Springs Resort, are working on an eight-property subdivision south of town. The 40+ acre area sits east of Veterans Street and south of Myrtle Avenue, on land overlooking the doctor’s golf course.
The town council canceled their first meeting of July due to the holiday. Instead of making the parties wait until the council meeting on July 18th, Mayor Chuck Davis opted to hold a public comment and special council meeting for the Royal Springs Subdivision yesterday afternoon. During the meeting, Mayor Davis said the subdivision was approved by both the town’s Planning and Zoning Commission and Impact Joint Powers Board.
Mayor Davis asked the public for their questions and concerns. Saratoga resident John Deacons said he lives near the proposed subdivision. Deacons said he was concerned that newly constructed homes would block his view of the Snowy Range to the east.
Councilman Jacob Fluty, attending the meeting via phone, said he shared the same concern as Deacons. Fluty added that the town can’t dictate what people do with their property if it conforms to the town’s ordinances.
Deacons said he was also concerned about construction noise. Drake said construction crews would only operate between 7:00 am to 10:00 pm.
Carbon County Republican Committeeman Scott Petty said he had gotten 17 calls concerning property taxes. Petty said adding several multimillion-dollar homes to a modest residential area would cause property taxes to rise. He said long-time residents would be forced to move.
Mayor Davis said the new homes shouldn’t increase the property taxes of the neighbors. Petty said the Carbon County Treasurers Office told him that higher priced homes would raise taxes across the entire area.
Other residents were concerned about the increased demand put on the existing sewer system by the subdivision. According to Drake, the sewer lines in the area were laid without enough slope, causing sewage to back up. Mayor Davis said each property would have a dedicated pump station to push mashed waste into the sewer mains. The mayor said the increased liquid would increase the sewer system’s efficiency.
With that, Mayor Davis closed the public hearing and opened the special, Jacob Fluty seconded.
The motion passed. Mayor Davis thanked Drake for his patience.
