Commercial Developments Proposed

On January 23, 2014, Blu Line Designs presented updated plans to the Planning Commission for the development of our commercial area. Additionally, Amsource, who owns the corner property in the northwest portion of that area, also presented some preliminary plans, as a credit union has approached them and expressed interest in building in Cedar Hills. The changes that Blu Line presented include: 

· The 55+ living facility has been rotated so the entrance is on Cedar Hills Drive, which creates more distance between the facility and the existing homes located to the south.

· The facility is mostly four stories, with the very last row on each wing being brought down to three stories.

· At the property line between the parking lot and the homes to the south they have added garage units to create more of a buffer.

· The developer would deed an additional five feet of backyard space to those residents just south of the living facility, would install a new fence, remove the existing power poles, and then create a 10-foot space between the backyards of those homes and the garages for the facility. This 10-foot space would include a walking trail and landscaping.

· More brick has been added to the facility, in order to better blend with existing businesses. 

While the only thing that was up for discussion and approval that night was the 55+ living facility, the designer also provided drawings of suggested changes for the rest of the commercial area. This includes moving the proposed movie theater so that it backs up to 9900 North instead of residential homes, and removing one of the exits onto 9900 North and making the one remaining exit a right turn only. 

Amsource owns the corner land and has been approached by America First Credit Union. They are interested in building a location on that corner across from Chase Bank. The preliminary drawings show the credit union on the corner with five drive-thru lanes. There would then be two other buildings in that corner, though Amsource does not yet have any firm offers. They envision those buildings could be like a small strip mall with two or three businesses in each. 

Both plans were approved to be sent to the City Council. These are just conceptual plans at this point and not final approval.

As always, we welcome your feedback. Anyone is welcome to attend city council meetings and give feedback during public comment. You may also do so by e-mailing any member of the Council. If you would like to see copies of the plans provided to the Planning Commission, you may view them at the city office, e-mail me at jrees@cedarhills.org, or visit my blog.