The Mexico Planning and Zoning Commission is sending two items back to the city council reaffirming its approval after voting to recommend a change to the city’s ordinance.

The two items are a request for preliminary approval for development projects within the city limits. The first case is Phase Two, Plat Two for the Park Creek Subdivision and Plat Three for the Saddlebrooke Estates. Both projects are seeking a waiver to exclude sidewalk construction. However, city ordinance requires sidewalks in all new developments. 

The commission voted unanimously at a meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 5, to send the two items back to the council. Commissioner Bryan Gruber was the only member not present to vote. The vote came after a long discussion about sidewalks in the city and a vote to recommend changes to the ordinance.

The two developers argue the sidewalks wouldn’t connect to any other sidewalks because there are none in the adjacent neighborhoods and they’re expensive to build. City Public Works Director Drew Williford said the city made the change to the ordinance to require sidewalks just a few years ago, well after the plats for the older neighborhoods were approved.

Developer Jack Creason spoke at the meeting and said it could cost more than $40,000 to construct sidewalks in Saddlebrook. Creason said that’s more than what it costs to put in a street when looking at square footage.

“Those walks down there really go nowhere,” Creason said about the lack of having any connectors. “Sidewalks are very expensive and it’s a lot of hand work. I think we have to question the purpose.”

Some on the commission were confused about what the council wanted the commission to do. Williford said he thought the council wanted the commission to look at the actual ordinance itself.

“If it’s in the ordinance we really need to follow the ordinance or we need to right size the ordinance for the community,” Williford said. “Are these ordinances reflecting the needs currently or do we need to look at making some amendments to allow some exceptions? That’s what I take away from the discussion.”

Commissioner Jim Dye said it seems the city has a history of not requiring sidewalks and that these two subdivisions connect to older subdivisions without sidewalks. Dye said there was a flaw in the ordinance.

“It seemed reasonable and it seemed very normal in the stream of the building that had gone on here not to have sidewalks,” Dye said. “I think it’s a reasonable variant and if we want to have housing in Mexico we have to do something like that.”

The commission mulled over four exceptions before deciding on two to advance to the council for approval. Commissioners want to be able to grant a waiver in the case the nearest sidewalk is located more than 1,000 feet from the furthermost edge of a proposed subdivision and when adjacent subdivisions have no sidewalks. 

The council had the item back on its agenda for the Monday, Sept. 11 meeting.