The Edmond Sun

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November 25, 2008

Council shelves Hilltop site plan

Residents complain of ‘barren wasteland’

James Coburn

A site plan extension request by Hilltop developer Joe Javadzadeh was denied by the Edmond City Council Monday night.

The extension drew heated opposition from Arrowhead Valley residents. Javadzadeh failed to comply with agreements made with the council and promises to the neighborhood, residents argued. A slide show depicted damage to Arrowhead Valley property owners’ trees due to soil erosion.

Land improvements would be delayed if a site plan extension would be denied, said attorney Randel Shadid, representing the developer.

“… These issues have come to fruition with seemingly no traction for correction or implementation, except for the developer’s request for an extension after the expiration of his permit followed by continuances,” said Mike Rusnac, president of Arrowhead Valley Neighborhood Association. “Yet no wall, no fence, no landscaping.”

Rusnac said Javadzadeh’s “barren wasteland” has resulted in a 14-foot drop-off posing a safety hazard. He asked the council to require Javadzadeh to resubmit the site plan with a time table to achieve items the council approved in 2007.

The City Council approved the site plan in 2007 for commercial development. An L-shaped retail shopping center was to be built on 4 acres just to the west of the southwest corner of 15th Street and I-35, said City Planner Bob Scheirmeyer.

Javadzadeh had agreed to put in a concrete retaining wall with a 10-foot setback and fence separating his property from Arrowhead Valley. He began moving dirt on his property not long after his permit had been approved in July 2007. Parts of the wall alongside the road are 14 feet tall. Javadzadeh received a land disturbance permit. A cut of dirt never fully developed into the concrete barrier as intended.

Shadid said the developer has not been informed by the Department of Environmental Quality of any violation. But any violation of erosion control will be remedied if DEQ or the City of Edmond cites a violation, Shadid said. And vegetation would be replenished if there’s a city code mandating that compliance, he added.

“That’s not saying we’re going to build a retaining wall. We’re not going to do that until we’re ready to build a building,” Shadid said.

Councilwoman Elizabeth Waner complained that the elevation of the property has not been restored to 2007 pre-erosion levels. She asked Shadid if there has been any activity to restore the elevation.

“I don’t know what we’re going to do on the dirt until we have a building permit and the sidewalks are built,” Shadid said.

Councilman Wayne Page said the developer has created problems beyond the acceptable standard needed to approve an extension.

This is a business problem, said Raymond Harshman of Arrowhead Valley. He questioned why Javadzadeh would excavate acres of land without having proper financing and a tenant in line.

“Why would someone make a commitment to build a retaining wall and you heard today say they’re not going to build a retaining wall?” Harshman continued. “As a matter of fact, they don’t know what they’re going to build.”

Waner said the developer has options to improve the property, but the homeowners don’t.

“I don’t see any option right now but to vote against this request,” she said.

jcoburn@edmondsun.com | 341-2121, ext. 114

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