Subdivision plans include stables, trails

Local developers are saddling up for a proposed new subdivision in eastern Greene County.

Wild Horse subdivision, when complete, is to have lots developed as homes, as well as a horse stable for residents and a riding trail, said Joan Woolford, Greene County planner.

The 145-acre development in the Pearson Creek area east of town is set for a hearing by Greene County Planning and Zoning Jan. 18, and a hearing by the County Commission Feb. 7.

The applicant and developer for the project is Wild Horse Investors, with Ronald K. Stenger as manager, according to information filed in Greene County. The developer declined to comment on the project until after the hearings.

There are several unanswered questions about the proposed subdivision, including how many animals will be on the property and how the waste will be disposed of, said Tim Smith, stormwater engineer for Greene County.

"Many of those questions remain to be answered in detail, but we do know that their application reflects that they will be using best-management practices as far as urban stormwater runoff is concerned," Smith said.

The development will use grassy swales rather than concrete curbs and gutters, which is unusual in today's subdivisions, Smith said.

"What most people think of when they think of something that does not use curbs and gutters is that it is old-school and therefore bad, but actually this is better as far as water quality is concerned," Smith said.

The swales allow for more contact with grass and soil as stormwater runs off, Smith said.

"Water that runs across a lawn is different from water that runs across a parking lot. If we can reduce that impervious surface contact, then we get better water quality once the water reaches its ultimate destination," Smith added.

The Pearson Creek area is one that has been watched carefully by those monitoring the quality of water locally because of the amount of development going on in that area of Springfield and Greene County.

"We have seen a decline in the diversity of macro invertebrates in parts of Pearson Creek, and we don't want to see that in the upper Pearson Creek because that is a benchmark we use to determine the health of a stream," Smith said.

He said Wild Horse is a large development, but one subdivision alone is not enough to compromise the environmental quality in the area.

"It's really the sum of many that leads to concerns. A subdivision this large is always something we will pay attention to in terms of how it affects the environment, but as long as we have developers who are willing to follow best-management practices, then we can maintain the quality of the area," Smith said.

Stormwater runoff from developments is identified as a nonpoint pollution source, one that is more difficult to control than a point source, such as a power plant or factory.

"The primary thing we have changed in Greene County in the past 10 years is to ask for extended detention to catch rainfall so that it is released extremely slowly into nearby streams. That's a tool we think will have some effect in the long run," Smith said.

Greene County Planning and Zoning will first determine its recommendation for the Wild Horse subdivision Jan. 18.

The commissioners will make their decision following the Planning and Zoning recommendation. That hearing is set for Feb. 7.