Hermitage commissioners, with some no votes and reluctant yeses Wednesday night, moved along a sketch plan for four houses on 23 acres, south of Hunter's Woods housing development.

Developer and property owner Michael Ristvey, however, criticized the plan and said he was so disgusted with it he might scrap the project.

"It isn't even my plan. The board turned down my plan last month. This is Gary's and Marcia's plan," Ristvey said.

Ristvey met with City Manager Gary Hinkson and Planning and Development Director Marcia Hirschmann after commissioners denied three waivers for the original sketch plan submitted by Ristvey last month.

On three 4-to-1 votes Wednesday, the board OK'd the trio of waivers.

One would permit Ristvey's four houses to slightly increase traffic on Ridgewood Drive -- the only route to North Keel Ridge Road for 91 building lots -- to an average 950 car trips a day, almost twice the volume a city ordinance allows.

The other waivers would permit Ristvey to build on his property without connecting a road to a neighboring property, and to build homes that don't front on a public street.

City officials said they have tried to work with Ristvey to draft a revised plan which pleased him and addressed concerns of some neighboring residents regarding future development.

But Ristvey said the city hijacked his plan.

Ristvey said he made several tentative agreements with city officials, none of which he was happy about, as future remedies for the waivers.

Ristvey would not have to build a road to nowhere -- or at least one to an undeveloped property east of his -- but Ristvey would leave a 50-foot-wide right of way for a future road. If it is built, it will provide access to the undeveloped property and ease traffic in the development.

The road also would be about 90 feet from at least three of the four homes, Ristvey said. "I live on the Christy Road superhighway. Traffic wakes me up at 6 in the morning. I'm trying to get back away from things, to get some peace and quiet," he said.

Ristvey said he envisions his property as "a family farm."

"The road will ruin my property," Ristvey said.

Ristvey would also leave a 20-feet-wide easement for a walking trail on the north and west borders of his property. Ristvey said he does not want to be liable for the trail.

More than half of the property will remain undeveloped and designated as "open land." Ristvey said he had no plan to develop the entire property, but was upset that he would have to seek approval from owners of neighboring properties -- as well as city officials -- to proceed with future plans on the open land. "The people from Hunter's Woods development never had to get my permission to build there," he said. "The city has the flexibility of an I beam."

Ristvey has owned the land since 1967.