P&Z keeps Retreat Phase 2 on hold
County seeks firmer answers on access, infrastructure before approval
7:25 p.m. April 7, 2026
DUANE CROSS
MCO Publisher•Editor
The next phase of The Retreat at Whiskey Creek remains stalled as Planning and Zoning Commission members made clear Tuesday they still have major concerns about access, infrastructure, and whether the project can meet the county’s subdivision rules as presented.
The issue returned to the commission on April 7 after Madison Haynes, an attorney representing the developer, asked to revive a preliminary plat request that had been tabled months ago without a final vote. The board agreed to take it up for discussion only, not action.
From there, the discussion quickly turned to the issue that has dogged the project for months: How Phase 2 would be achieved.
P&Z Chairman Dexter Golden said the board still needs proof that the bridge tied to the development qualifies as a state-certified bridge and that access into the property meets the county’s requirement for a 30-foot connection to a public way or legal easement. The board also said it wants floodplain issues clearly identified and subdivision requirements addressed before the project moves any further.
The board also returned to an earlier expectation that Phase 1 would be substantially finished before Phase 2 advanced. During Tuesday’s meeting, developer Chip Hayes said Phase 1 is about 50% complete. Golden said the county wants to see infrastructure in place and performance bonds secured before more lots are sold, saying they do not want buyers left owning property for years without water, power, or other basic improvements.
Golden also made clear that he believes Phase 1 moved ahead with too much left unresolved under the county’s subdivision rules. While stressing that they are not trying to block growth, Golden stressed that the next phase will be done by the book and in accordance with the county’s existing standards.
The meeting also returned to a separate dispute over the project’s R-3 zoning language and the 799-square-foot cap tied to structures in the development.
Attorney Haynes noted the Board of Zoning Appeals had already sided with their view that the 799-square-foot limit applies to heated-and-cooled living space, not porches or decks. P&Z board members said the wording still needs to be clarified so lot coverage and setbacks are not undercut on the development’s small lots. Golden said county attorney Bill Rieder will need to draft clarifying language before any change moves forward to the Metro Council for approval.
No vote was taken Tuesday night on Phase 2.
Instead, the commission left the project where it has been for months: neither rejected nor cleared to move ahead. Until the county gets firmer answers on access, infrastructure, and the rules Phase 2 must meet, The Retreat at Whiskey Creek is still waiting on a green light.
