Loch Lloyd rezoning decision pushed to February 28

By Kathy Feist

A vote to rezone a former Loch Lloyd golf course into a residential development was delayed once again after a legal document was presented at the start of the February 19th Board of Trustees meeting.

After a 45-minute private meeting among the board members, Board Chairman Randall Schultz announced that the vote to rezone the Sechrest golf course would be moved to February 28 at 4 pm.

“We got letters from various people involved. We wanted to sort things out because the information was so last minute,” Schultz explained to the Telegraph regarding the delayed meeting. “It also gives everyone the chance to evaluate the development agreement if that ends up being used.”

The rezoning approval hinged on the acceptance of a development agreement with Loch Lloyd developer Brian Illig. The agreement was made public a few hours before the February 19th meeting.

The proposed development includes 45 houses sectioned into four different corners of the Sechrest golf course. Much of the golf course will be preserved and include walking trails, a children’s park and landscaping. The landscaping is planned to enhance the appearance of the area as well as hide dense housing, which is not typical in the Village of Loch Lloyd.

Residents belonging to the South HOA oppose the development due to unanswered concerns over water drainage, sewer capacities, traffic impact and design considerations.

The development agreement attempts to address those concerns.

“Everything that everyone took into consideration about what the developer should do is required to be in the development agreement,” says Schultz. “If it’s not done according to the development agreement, [the developer] can’t shovel dirt. We have a legal enforceable binding document.”

Schultz says the Board of Trustees must make a decision that benefits all residents of Loch Lloyd.

“It comes down to a fundamental question,” he says.” Are there enough benefits–getting the kids a place to play, the water fixed for the whole neighborhood, the stormwater fixed for the whole neighborhood, and the pumps and the lakes fixed– as a trade-off for getting more density at those four holes? That’s what we have to decide.”