Proposed Farmington subdivision raises stability concerns

Proposed Farmington subdivision raises stability concerns

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FARMINGTON — A proposed subdivision in Farmington is raising a few eyebrows. Some residents question whether the soil is stable enough to build on.

Farmington city officials say Symphony Homes hopes to build a new subdivision at 50 East and 700 South. The Pheasant Hollow Subdivision would have 12 homes and a new road would be built where there currently is a gap on 700 South.

But nearby residents have told the city leaders their concerns about the soil there. Eric Anderson, the city's associate planner, says the residents appear to be right.

“There is probably very bad soil underneath there," Anderson said. "So, they’re going to have to do some mitigating steps to make sure that the homes that they build are safe and don’t have any structural problems.”

Anderson says the builders are aware there is a lot of organic soil and peat moss under the ground.

“They’re going to dig below the organic soil to see how deep it is and to make sure it’s safe,” Anderson said.

Anderson says Symphony Homes owns the land, so they can build a subdivision there if they want. But, the builders will have to go through a few extra steps.

“If they’re willing to go through the mitigating steps to build safe houses, then there is very little we (Farmington City) can do to stop them,” Anderson said.

For instance, Symphony will have to go through more geo-tech testing than normal.

“We’ve required that they do an additional geo-tech report before they even submit their preliminary plat (plan),” Anderson noted.

Not only do the builders have to provide a geo-tech report for the subdivision, but for each individual plot. Anderson says the company will likely have to complete additional safety steps once those reports are filed.

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