Legacy Development committed to subdivision

Cameron and Emily Curtis of Curtis homes and Legacy Development.

Photo courtesy curtishomesllc.com

The following is an email from Cameron Curtis addressing the recent decision by The Dalles City Council to uphold an appeal by local residents that stopped progress on Legacy Development’s 80-unit subdivision. The project is planned for 6.92 acres at the corner of Richmond and 12th streets. I asked Cameron and Emily if they intended to move forward on their development. For additional information on this subject search 80-unit with out website search tool - Tom Peterson

Here is the Email:

Curtis Homes and Legacy Development remain committed to developing the property with the original vision which was to meet the needs of the community. We have a passion for serving people and our desire has been to help meet the needs of our community by building high quality attainable homes for the missing middle. We believe there are hard working people in our community that can not afford to live here so our dream has been to break the barrier of home buying and reduce rental cost by offering a more diverse housing product. 

Legacy Development is committed to seeing this vision through and is confident that we have met all the clear and objective criteria set forth by City of the Dalles. I would like to be clear about some facts regarding the development thus far.

1. There is a structured process set forth by the City of the Dalles, executed by their planning department which we have met every step of the way.  

2. We have followed all local and state codes and laws in proposing and obtaining approval for this development. 

3. We have submitted clear plans that meet the requirements set forth by the current zoning which has been in place since 94. We are simply meeting the need of the community by providing the much needed housing & growth that has been projected for years. 

4. The property can not be developed in a less dense manner due to a couple key facts: 

4.a. The zoning will not allow anything less than 55 units. Those lots can not be developed in large single family parcels. The maximum lot size in this zoning is 4,000 square feet. The minimum is 3,500. 

4.b. The City of the Dalles will not be able to expand the urban growth boundary now and this was a key issue with city council in months past.  Thus forcing the City of The Dalles to figure out how to develop the current land inventory with current zonings. 

4.c. The State of Oregon will push back on any zone changes due to the current house bills 2001 and 2003. 

5. There are a lot of questions revolving around specific lack of "infrastructure." Here are the facts that seem to be missed or not understood: 

5.a. We completed a traffic study per City of the Dalles Engineering standards & ODOT guidelines,  and proved that we are not proposing a development that will burden the intersections. In fact it is well under the current TSP (transpiration system plan)  expected growth. We also got a second opinion per the request of the planning commission and that second opinion affirmed we followed guidelines and are not overwhelming intersections. 

5.b. Our proposed development does have sidewalks that meet all ADA standards throughout our project. We will not build any sidewalks that don't meet ADA standards. 

5.c. The City of the Dalles engineering department has affirmed there are adequate local utilities to support this development as this has been expected growth for over 20 years. Our current plan extends those already adequate lines to the end of our property at our expense and will benefit current and future neighbors. 

5.d. There is no burden to any local infrastructure. This growth has been expected for years but was delayed for various reasons. Legacy Development is simply starting to answer the need for that growth by offering a wide variety of home sizes and price points. 

In conclusion we feel strongly that we have followed the clear process set forth for developing land in the City The Dalles. We are 100% committed to seeing the project through and excited to offer great homes to many hard working families in The Dalles. We believe everyone deserves a place to live, and The Grove will serve a great new community to help our new neighbors thrive. 

Thank you, 

Cameron Curtis