Mitchell Homes agrees to sewer

Mitchell Homes agrees to sewer

by Deborah Nelson
January 11, 2008

Mitchell Homes has agreed to install sewer in the Pond Creek area Timberwolf Plantation project, as originally promised, according to a January 9 Mitchell Homes letter to the County Attorney.

The letter asks the County to drop plans to reverse the land’s rezoning.

It also asks the County to pull from any consideration “to refer to the county staff or planning board a proposed change to the Land Development Code that would impose setbacks on septic tank systems that will exceed the requirements of state statutes and regulations.”

Commissioner John Broxson had asked staff to research a code change to ban septic tanks within 1000 feet of pristine water bodies -- in response to Mitchell’s proposed switch back to septic tanks.

Santa Rosa Commissioners, Thursday, scratched the zoning reversal from a scheduled vote.

The Board also agreed explore septic tank code issues through a public workshop, instead of Broxson’s proposed code change. County staff are no longer researching a code change, but may do so depending upon what comes out of the workshop, according to officials.

The workshop is expected to explore utility, Department of Health and developer requirements regarding water and sewer service; and septic tank abatement.

Prior to this week’s kerfuffle, Mitchell had requested a change from sewer to septic tanks, citing unexpected costs of building a lift station and pump. In response, county officials moved to reverse the property’s original residential rezoning back to Agriculture.

According to Mitchell Homes’ agreement with Pace Water System (PWS), cited in the January 9 letter:

Mitchell will pay for the construction cost of the force main and associated lift station pump to carry raw sewage from the west boundary line of Timberwolf Plantation to the location of the closest sanitary sewer manhole operated or owned by PWS.
Mitchell shall not be required to incur any cost associated with modifications of the existing Pace sanitary sewer system that may be needed to move raw sewage past the point of the physical connection of the force main sewer line to the existing PWS system.
With respect to the installation of a lift station, the lift station located on the Timberwolf Plantation property shall be sized to move the sewage flow generated by the total number of homes allowed by the Timberwolf Plantation development order from the edge of the Timberwolf Plantation property to the end of the force main sewer line constructed pursuant to this Agreement, and no farther.
Within thirty days after completion of construction by Mitchell and acceptance by PWS of the sanitary sewer extension, PWS will reimburse Mitchell for the total cost of installing the force main sewer line from a point one-fourth mile from the edge of the Timberwolf Plantation property to the point of connection to the existing PWS sanitary sewer system.
Mitchell shall not be reimbursed for either the cost of the first one-fourth mile of force main sewer line or for the cost of installing a lift station sufficient to move the raw sewage from Timberwolf Plantation to the point of connection with the existing PWS sanitary sewer system.