City Commission approves rezoning, platting, and annexation of Covenant Estates development

By ALICIA FEYERHERM

Tiger Media Network 

The City Commission approved several items related to the Covenant Estates development during Thursday’s meeting. 

The first item was to approve the rezoning of the area. The area is currently zoned as an Agriculture District (A-L) and would need to be rezoned to Residential General District (R-G) before further development becomes possible.

Director of Public Works Jesse Rohr said the project is being broken into phases, so the rezoning would only apply to a section of the property. 

“It’s likely that in the near future, you will see us back here and before the planning commission as well for future additions as the development moves north,” Rohr said.

The future land use maps shows the area as “low density residential,”  which is what the R-G designation is. 

Rohr pointed out that the R-G designation allows a variety of structures, including group day care centers, schools, transportation stops and planned development. If other requirements are met, the land could also be used for a golf course, library, assisted living facility, or recreation and fitness center. While not the intention of the developer, Rohr wanted the commission to understand all the possibilities included in the rezoning. 

The rezoning passed 5-0.

Rohr then addressed the platting of the property.

“We’re talking about the platting of the property, which allows for subdivision and creation of right-of-way and easement for future development,” Rohr said. 

This first addition plat is 20 acres with 3 blocks and a total of 54 lots.  

The final plat was approved 5-0.

Rohr also presented the annexation request. The property is contiguous with City limits, but is currently not part of the City. Annexation allows for streets and utilities to be extended to the property.

The annexation was approved 5-0.

Other items from the meeting included:

• Approval of $6,676,180.98 bid to Smoky Hill, LLC for the reconstruction of Runway 4-22 and Taxiway M at the Hays Regional Airport
• Approval of a $445,800 construction engineering contract with Lochner for the Runway 4-22 project

The next City Commission Meeting will be at 4:00 p.m. on June 12 at City Hall.