Curry County met its final hurdle prior to the Clovis City Commission on a request to close Eighth Street between Mitchell and Main streets, and the alley between the Curry County Adult Detention Center and the women’s annex, which it considers a security risk.

The city’s planning and zoning committee, by a unanimous vote, approved a recommendation for the closure. The item is expected to go before the city commission in a Feb. 21 meeting.

Members of the commission had small concerns about the request, all of which were answered by county representatives or city staff.

City Attorney David Richards said the county originally requested vacating the streets and alley, but changed the request to a closure.

“If we vacated a street or an alley, that means it goes away,” Richards said. “A closure is (a road or alley that’s) still there, and it’s city property, but it’s no longer utilized for public access.”

Mainly, Richards said, the issue was that a closure would still allow utility company access while a vacation would not.

Joe Wright, facilities operations coordinator for the county,  said the county would use removable bollards to close off traffic.

In other business at the meeting:

• The committee agreed to give preliminary plat approval to the Petty Subdivision.

The 11 tracts of land in the area that includes residential areas, A-Key storage facilities and Burns Hardware, had never been formally subdivided and was a hodgepodge of different zoning requirements.

Engineer Chad Lydick said the plat was an attempt to clean up years of incongruous zoning and give it some unity.

The move also makes it easier for part of the land north of Burns Hardware to be sold to a private developer.

Commission member Randy Petty declared prior to the discussion that he had a financial stake, spoke only to give direct information to other commissioners and abstained from the 6-0 vote.

• The commission approved a plat of the Almond Ranch Estates, located west of the Clovis Civic Center.

Lydick said the estates will still mostly be developed as single-family residential units, but will also allow for a 10-acre donation for a future elementary school and about 10 acres for later development as multi-family residential.

• The next meeting is scheduled for 3 p.m. March 13.