But the process to get there was longer than is typical — from mid-March up to this week — and the subdivision plan prompted tension and scrutiny, as a developer’s subdivision plans conflicted with centuries of family tradition.
The owner of the project, TAG Property Development, wants to subdivide the 26-acre site into 18 lots for single-family homes, plus common areas.
But the plan had a major hiccup. A local family, the Dorans, have a private cemetery located on the land owned by the developer.
The cemetery houses the remains of the Dorans’ ancestors going back centuries. The family raised concerns that they’d no longer be able to visit the cemetery, if a nearby road were barred by a gate as part of the project. There were also issues over fencing and signage for the burial site.
Lee Doran explained part of the situation at an April meeting: "Long story short, my family homesteaded that area in 1831. Lots of relatives buried in there. My grandfather is the one that built the chain-link fence that was still in good shape that the current developer tore down.”
When the bill permitting the subdivision layout came back before Council for a second time, the Doran family told Council they weren’t yet able to come to terms with the developer. Ultimately, General Councilmember Derek Lee hashed out a compromise between the developer and the family.
It would allow the gated road to be open during 11 major holidays each year, like Christmas and Thanksgiving. Another nearby road would be open at all times for the Dorans to use for access to the cemetery. The cemetery, and the path leading to it, would both get a fence provided by the developer.
