Altoona Plan Commission Meeting Summary – October 14, 2025

The Altoona Plan Commission met on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, at 4:30 PM. Mayor Brendan Pratt presided over the meeting, which focused on preliminary consultations for a commercial subdivision at River Prairie and depth adjustments for single-family lots in the Whitetail Woods development. Staff provided updates on the ongoing zoning code revision and next steps for the Commission.

Consent Calendar

• The minutes from the September 9, 2025, regular Plan Commission meeting were approved. Members Sue Roll and Matthew Beerin abstained.
• The Citizen Participation Period was opened and closed with no members of the public wishing to speak on non-agenda items.

Public Comments & Testimony

• No public testimony was received during this meeting.

Discussion Items

• Preliminary Consultation – River Prairie Commercial CSM: Planning Director Taylor Greenwell presented a proposal by Ryan Erickson (NAI Commonwealth) to create three commercial lots on a parcel west of the River Ridge townhomes near Woodman's. The lots (approximately 5.56, 0.58, and 0.91 acres) are in the River Prairie Mixed-Use District. One lot is planned for a Chipotle restaurant; the tenant for the other commercial building has not been disclosed. The site will use shared parking and cross-access. Concerns were raised about traffic stacking and circulation, which the developer addressed by clarifying the Chipotle will operate a pickup-only drive-through. Staff noted the design is "tight but doable" and will be refined during the formal Site Plan Review (SIP).
• Preliminary Consultations – Whitetail Woods Lot Depth Adjustments: Three separate Certified Survey Map (CSM) proposals from 5G Development were reviewed to add 17 feet of depth to lots 5–7, 8–11, and 12–14 of the Whitetail Woods subdivision. The change increases the depth of the R1-zoned lots to 110 feet and the lot area to 7,818 square feet, exceeding the district minimums of 66 feet and 6,000 square feet. Developer Mark from 5G Development explained the extra depth allows builders to construct larger homes. The Commission expressed informal support for the adjustment.
• Zoning Code Update: Taylor Greenwell announced a special Plan Commission meeting for the following week to review the final chapters of the zoning code update (administrative procedures, nonconformities, and the subdivision ordinance). The final draft of the full code is expected to be presented to the Commission in December 2025 or January 2026, accompanied by an updated zoning map.

Key Outcomes

• Minutes Approved: The September 9, 2025 meeting minutes were approved with abstentions.
• No Formal Votes on CSMs: As these were preliminary consultations, no formal actions were taken on the proposed subdivisions. Developers received informal feedback to proceed toward formal applications.
• Zoning Code Update Schedule: The Commission will continue its review of the final administrative chapters at a special meeting the following week.