by Stephanie Croston

    A proposal for a 30-lot subdivision east of Seward was tabled by the City of Seward Planning Commission Aug. 14. It will be reconsidered at the commission's next meeting, Monday, Sept. 11, at 7:30 p.m.
     The subdivision, called Deer Run Estates, would be located on the southeast corner of the intersection of Highway 34 and Matzke Highway. Lots would range from three to five acres. Bob Benes, the property owner, said the first phase of the development would be west of the stream that runs through the property. Each lot would have its own well and septic system.
     A test well was drilled in the area and pumped 10 to 15 gallons per minute, Benes told the commission.
     Mike Eckert, an engineer from Civil Design Group, Inc., of Lincoln that is working on the subdivision design, said water would not be a concern since residential wells don't pump as much as agricultural wells and they would not all be pumping at the same time.
     During the public hearing Aug. 14, area residents shared their concerns, among them availability of water and how the proposal fit into the city's comprehensive plan.
     Dave Svoboda, who lives north of the proposed subdivision, recommended test wells on each lot. John Blomenberg, who lives west of Seward, said the water issue could be solved if the city's water and sewer were extended to the site.
     Svoboda, Blomenberg and Jim Titus of Morris and Titus Law Firm agreed that the proposal does not fit the city's comprehensive plan. Titus described it as spot zoning.
     When the city redid its comprehensive plan, John Hughes, city zoning administrator, said, it eliminated the transitional use district, which was a two-mile area around the city in which acreages had to be at least five acres, classified as large lot residential. Everything was then rezoned agricultural, and the requirement for an acreage dropped to three acres.
     Hughes said that, according to the comprehensive plan, the rural residential designation, which is what Benes asked that the subdivision be zoned as, is designed to be used in areas where a demand for urban services like water and sewer would be unlikely. Those areas are determined based on topography and other factors, he said.
     It would not be difficult to extend services to the proposed subdivision, he said. Based on the location of the Big Blue River and land prices around the city, the most likely direction for expansion is east, he said.
     Hughes said part of the development fell within the city's two-mile extraterritorial jurisdiction, but rather than splitting the zoning with the county, the city agreed to handle zoning for the entire development.
     When the matter comes before the Seward City Council, council members will consider amending the future land use map, rezoning the area from agricultural to rural residential and accepting the preliminary and final plats for the development.
     The council held a public hearing July 18 regarding the proposal and heard some of the same concerns the planning commission did. At that time, Councilmember Matt Stryson suggested developing a more detailed development plan "rather than dotting the landscape with areas that can't mesh."
     Councilmember Tony Vrana compared the proposed development to a town the size of Garland or Bee.