The Woodland Hills Conservation Association plans to move ahead with an application for public access gates during the new year.
“We have one conceptual meeting under the new ordinance with Woodland Hills,” said Jordan Rae Hillman, director of planning for the city of Jackson. “They will be submitting their documents and we will be scheduling the community meeting tentatively sometime in January.”
Hillman said she has met with Holly Lange, a resident of Woodland Hills, about the application.
The two locations proposed for gates are: Old Canton Road and Glenway Drive and Wood Dale Drive and Ridge Drive.
Woodland Hills will be the first neighborhood to apply for gates since November when the Jackson City Council approved changes to the gating ordinance that were meant to better communication about the process and make it more transparent.
In April 2019, Jackson residents sparred over the then-pending gating proposals for Eastover and Woodland Hills. Opponents voiced concern that they did not have the opportunity to comment until the gating application was before the council, while supporters claimed they were at a disadvantage because they did not have a chance to refute testimony from opponents of gating.
The changes to the ordinance call for a pre-application meeting with the city’s planning and development staff before an application for the installation of public access gates is submitted. A conceptual drawing showing the locations of proposed public access gates must be submitted to the planning and development department before an application for the installation of public access gates is submitted.
After conceptual drawings are submitted, the planning and development staff will then provide written notice to proceed with a community meeting, where an applicant will share the drawings and gather input. The planning and development staff is required to be present at a community meeting to provide technical support.
All property owners in a neighborhood are required to be notified by certified mail of the time, place and location of the community meeting at least 15 days before the scheduled meeting. All property owners identified by Planning and Development staff as directly affected by the gate outside of the neighborhood also have to receive notice.
A public notice sign with the time, date and location for the community meeting should be posted at all proposed gate locations for 15 days before the community meeting.
During the community meeting, the conceptual drawings will be shared and the Planning and Development staff will keep a record of all input.
Upon completion of the public notice and community meeting, the Planning and Development staff will provide written approval for the applicant to move forward and submit a formal application within 60 days.
Public access gates, unlike private gates, do not bar individuals from entering a neighborhood. All a motorist must do is drive up, push a button or simply wait for the gates to open. The gates slow traffic by requiring motorists to wait before entering a neighborhood and are thought to deter criminals from making a quick getaway.
