Commission approves Vela Vista master plan with reduced railroad buffer after brief discussion

The planning commission approved the Vela Vista subdivision master plan and accepted the applicant’s request to apply a 120‑foot buffer from the centerline of adjacent railroad tracks rather than the 300‑foot buffer listed in staff comments.

Project engineer Daniel Gomez told commissioners the submission was an update to a prior master plan that previously included a 120‑foot buffer, and the applicant asked that the commission allow that 120‑foot dimension to remain. The commission and staff discussed the ordinance language, which gives the commission discretion because the buffer requirement is phrased as a "may" rather than a mandatory standard.

Fire and other city departments reviewed the plan and did not identify any department‑level objections that would prevent approval. The applicant agreed to provide fencing and drainage and to limit access to the railroad. The commission moved to approve the master plan with the 120‑foot buffer requested by the applicant; the motion passed on a voice vote.

Why it matters: The commission’s action sets a consistent buffer for Vela Vista relative to the railroad and removes a potential constraint on lot layout the applicant said existed in the staff comment recommending 300 feet. The approval advances the project to subsequent platting stages where department comments and infrastructure coordination will be resolved.