In a recent City Commission Meeting on Monday, commissioners delved into discussions surrounding the acceptance of street right-of-way and easement dedications proposed by South Ohio Land, LLC. These dedications are intended to facilitate the replatting of Lot 5, Block 5, and Lots 1 and 2, Block 6 of the Corrected Plat of Liberty Addition No. 2. The objective is to carve out five new building lots within a 61.9-acre tract situated on the western side of South Ohio Street, just south of Schilling Road—a development to be known as Liberty Addition No. 3.
The journey to this point traces back to October 2003 when South Ohio Land, LLC submitted a final plat application for a 135-acre tract at the southwest corner of Schilling Road and Ohio Street. The property, part of a larger 146-acre holding by South Ohio Land, LLC, received Planning Commission approval for a one-lot plat in March 2003. This greenlight paved the way for the development of an 8.66-acre site, now home to the Kennedy & Coe/K-Coe Isom (now Pinion) building.
Liberty Addition was officially annexed into the city in April 2003, followed by the annexation of the remaining 135 acres in June 2003. Notably, the right-of-way for Schilling Road and the Schilling Road Ditch had been annexed in 1999.
Fast forward to the present, where South Ohio Land, LLC, represented by James Hall, seeks approval for a replat of a 61.90-acre segment of Liberty Addition No. 2. This proposal involves reconfiguring Lots 1 and 2, Block 6, shifting McIntosh Street southward, creating two lots north of McIntosh, and forming a single large lot to the south. The curved connection between McIntosh and Progress Drive would be replaced with a 90° intersection. The west lot (Lot 5, Block 5) remains largely unchanged, but the applicant is requesting an additional curb cut south of McIntosh Street.
Key features of the proposed changes include the elimination of the sweeping curve in McIntosh, turning it into a T intersection. All lots will have frontage and access to public streets, with the west lot having sufficient frontage on McIntosh Street for development without requiring the construction of Progress Drive.
Public improvements integral to the proposal include the construction of a water line connection, a sewer line along McIntosh Street, completion of McIntosh Street from Ohio Street to Progress Drive, and the installation of a box culvert crossing the north-south drainage ditch—previously agreed to be funded by the City.
In terms of vacations and dedications, the replatting would vacate existing rights-of-way and easements while introducing new dedications for the relocated McIntosh Street.
During the Planning Commission meeting on December 5, 2023, South Ohio Land, LLC's replatting proposal received unanimous approval. The Planning Commission, satisfied with the adherence to minimum lot size and street frontage requirements, granted approval with conditions related to public improvements, underground utilities, and a cost recovery fee for the water line project. The motion passed with a 5-0 vote, setting the stage for the next phase of development in Liberty Addition No. 2.
