Neighbors Divided Over Cardinal Woods Development Ahead of Woodstock Planning Commission Hearing Feb. 5, 2026

As Woodstock Community News previously reported, the Woodstock Planning Commission will meet Thursday, Feb. 5, 2026, at 7 p.m. in The Chambers at City Center, 8534 Main St., to consider three land use applications. The full agenda packet, now available, reveals a significant volume of public correspondence - both in opposition and in support - tied to the proposed development of three lots in the Cardinal Woods neighborhood, and raises detailed concerns about sewer routing, floodplain construction, and stream buffer disturbance.

The three applications before the commission - CUP#093-25 at 706 Robin Court, V#219-25 at 702 Ravenwood Drive, and V#220-25 at 704 Robin Court - are collectively connected to a proposal that would bring new residential construction to the Cardinal Woods neighborhood. The packet makes clear that the cases have generated sustained community engagement in the weeks leading up to the hearing.

Among the most pointed public comments included in the packet is a letter from Jamie Poss, a resident at 609 Ravenwood Drive, who wrote to the mayor, city council members, and planning staff to formally oppose variances for lots 702 and 704. Poss, who said she initially believed a compromise was possible, wrote that after attending a public input meeting and reviewing engineering plans, she changed her position entirely.

'I was wrong to initially believe that we could come to a compromise but now that I understand what is truly being planned, lots 702 and 704 do not belong being developed at all,' Poss wrote. 'There is a reason why they haven't been developed in 50 years.'

Poss raised several specific concerns in her letter: the proposal to route sewer infrastructure beneath a creek, which she described as creating 'the very real possibility that a failure could contaminate floodwaters, turning a natural resource into an open-air sewage channel through our community'; the precedent set by similar construction she said caused cracked foundations in nearby homes during a previous project; and the disruption she said months of heavy construction would bring to an established residential neighborhood.

City planning staff documents included in the packet echo some of those technical concerns. Staff noted that the proposed development would require sewer connections and sidewalks in an area where surrounding homes remain on septic systems, and that increased impervious surface raises stormwater runoff and drainage concerns adjacent to existing septic systems. Staff also flagged the proposal to route sewer infrastructure beneath a creek as raising 'environmental, erosion, maintenance, and long-term reliability concerns that are inconsistent with the low-intensity residential nature of the area.' Additionally, staff noted that the proposal includes construction of a residential structure within a designated flood zone.

Not all residents who wrote in share those concerns. The packet also includes a letter of support from a Cardinal Woods resident who expressed enthusiasm for the development, citing potential improvements to streets, utilities, and neighborhood infrastructure. That resident called on the city to add streetlights, stop signs, and other safety improvements to the neighborhood, and asked that a temporary gate limiting neighborhood traffic be removed. A second resident, Scott McLain of 605 Ravenwood Drive, wrote separately to express agreement with that letter and to echo the call for the second neighborhood entrance to be opened.

Planner Cameron Dunn, who is listed as the staff contact for all three land use cases, responded in writing to Poss on Jan. 22, 2026, confirming that her correspondence would be included in the case file and packaged within the public agenda. Dunn noted that the Planning Commission is a recommending body and that the City Council will have the final say. He advised Poss that the cases are scheduled to be heard by the Planning Commission on Feb. 5 and by the City Council on Feb. 23.

A separate email forwarded into the case file from a resident identified only by the name Tamara Trull stated simply: 'We do not want 7 homes built on three lots on Ravenwood Dr and Robin Court.' That message was sent Jan. 14, 2026, and was forwarded to Dunn by Community Development Director Melissa Sigmund for inclusion in the record.

The packet also includes context from recent City Council action on other planning matters. Council voted unanimously, 6-0, to approve CUP#091-25, a Conditional Use Permit for Rangeworks USA, a golf driving range. Council approved CUP#092-25, a storage yard permit at 11988 Hwy. 92, on a 5-1 vote, with Councilmember Ake dissenting. Council also voted unanimously to adopt the January 2026 Zoning Map Update and, on a 5-0 vote, to approve a variance at 119 and 123 Rusk Street allowing a structure in the front yard and fences up to 66 inches in height. A separate item regarding e-bike and micro-mobility device regulations was presented to council but no action was taken.

Residents who wish to comment on the Cardinal Woods-related applications - CUP#093-25, V#219-25, and V#220-25 - may do so at the Feb. 5 public hearings before the Planning Commission. The City Council is scheduled to take up the same cases on Feb. 23. Both meetings are open to the public. The full agenda packet is available on the City of Woodstock's online agenda portal.