A plan for any future development on about 266 acres of land near Carty Road near Ridgefield received its final approval and focuses on preserving the area’s unique characteristics.
During its July 28 meeting, the Ridgefield City Council voted 6-0 to approve the Carty Road Subarea Plan. The area in question features land to the east of the Northwest Hillhurst Road and South Royle Road intersection, centered around the titular Carty Road and currently in Ridgefield’s Urban Growth Area (UGA) but not in city limits.
The planning began in 2019 as a result of requests for annexation from property owners in the subarea, Ridgefield Community Development Director Claire Lust said. The city council put those requests on pause over concerns the area wouldn’t be developed in tune with the feedback they received.
Instead, the council moved for staff to develop a subarea plan for the properties. Lust said the subarea planning was “a high-level process to establish vision and goals” with development standards that create a “united vision” on what the area would look like if it is developed.
That process went on for years. It included a property owner survey, interviews with stakeholders, two project advisory committee meetings in 2020 and a third meeting in 2022 after COVID-19 restrictions lifted.
In the property owner survey, more than 70% of respondents valued rural character of the area as a top priority. More than 60% of property owners who responded didn’t want any improvements to the area at all.
“Some folks know that they would love to eventually annex their land to be developed. Some folks absolutely just want it to stay as-is for as long as they’re living there,” Lust said during a March meeting when the subarea process restarted after a pandemic-induced hiatus.
Concerns raised at the last advisory committee meeting included trail safety and location, the potential widening of Carty Road, as well as if proposed zoning and setbacks would limit development opportunities, according to a staff report. The proposed zoning would require four residential units per acre.
Based on feedback, staff worked to align trails with streets on separated paths, Lust said. Prior proposals included trail corridors that went through critical areas on properties.
The plan also includes road improvements along Northwest Carty Road, Northwest Mueller Road, Northwest 30th Court and Northwest 24th Avenue leading up to South 20th Way, according to a staff report.
The plan’s guidelines feature an allowance on agricultural uses, varying lot sizes and allowing for views of outside landscape, according to the staff report. The guidelines also preserve existing tree cover and limit the use of averaging when calculating critical area buffers.
The plan also features a “community-supported agriculture” area on land to the west of Northwest Mueller Road. Another overlay for “heritage” land is included. It is intended to preserve historic properties and structures.
The subarea plan will not apply to the properties of owners who do not petition for annexation, the staff report notes.
