By Lacey Watt
GREENFIELD — Grand Communities LLC went before the City of Greenfield Plan Commission Monday night to request a rezone of 62.42 acres off the corner of Davis Road and Franklin Street for a subdivision with a proposed zoning designation of Planned Unit Development (PUD).
In the plan commission staff reports, it is said that “a PUD Plan, Statement, and Ordinance create their own development standards but also includes a default underlying zone district for the purpose of providing development standards potentially omitted in the PUD Plan.”
Currently, the area is zoned for residential moderate (RM), and to the north of the land is also residential moderate, which is where the current subdivision Sandalwood is being built.
City senior planner Evan Beaty said that the duplex units do not meet the standard RM requirements and would require individual modification requests for each of the lots where they are being developed. Beaty said that the staff discussed with the petitioner and it was agreed that a PUD was the more appropriate path to take as it prevented individual modification requests for the subdivision.
Robert Hayes, planning entitlements manager for Grand Communities LLC of Fischer Homes, said the recent change in Greenfield’s code is the reason behind the request and that the company respectfully asked the commission to consider the PUD.
“We are trying to pursue this for both aesthetic reasons, the way the homes lay out on the home sites and affordability,” Hayes said.
The two existing properties in this area would be replatted, screened with landscaping and separated from the rest of the units by common areas such as a pond. They will also have a shared private drive connecting to an internal street of the subdivision.
Hayes said that the subdivision would be called Parkrose and carry the theme throughout the landscaping and other elements. The subdivision has a total of 181 lots that would be split into four phases of completion, with the bulk being completed in phase one.
The subdivision would have three different types of homes. There will be two varieties of the detached homes, the “Designer” and the “Maple Street” with the “Maple Street” being geared toward first-time home buyers. The third type are “Paired Patio” units or duplexes, which are a mix of garage layouts.
Amanda Deardorff, land acquisition manager for Fischer Homes, said the “Designer” homes would range from $300,000 up to more than $500,000 after chosen upgrades and personalization; the “Maple Street” would start in the low $300,000s and could reach more than $400,000; and the “Paired Patio” units would start out in the mid-$200,000s.
One pond will be in the common area of the subdivision with amenities such as a walking path, seating area, a fountain and a gazebo. The second pond that provides a buffer to the two existing properties on the land will also serve as help for drainage, and while that pond is privately owned, the Home Owners Association (HOA) will still take care of the maintenance.
In the project proposal for the subdivision, the plan would also connect Center Street, extending the road and having lots added along both sides of the extension. As of right now, that area is heavily dense with trees, is swamp-like and would require a soil test to see if expansion is possible. Staff would also like to see some of the trees preserved from the east and west of Center Street.
Plan Commission member Mike Terry asked Hayes what would happen to the property if the soil tests do not allow the connection to be made. Hayes said the soil concern was in regards to the constructability of the homesite, not the street, but it would not prevent the project from moving forward.
One community member who spoke at the meeting asked if, once Center Street is connected, there be any provisions to slow down the speeding that already takes place.
Jason Koch, city engineer and plan commission member, said that, if the connection takes place, it is something they could keep an eye on in the area.
“We could throw two counters out there to make sure to measure the speeds and get police presence out there,” Koch said.
Beaty said that the staff recommendation for the plan commission was to approve the plat and PUD plan with some commitments from the petitioner, such as the preservation of trees off of Center Street. The second recommendation would be for the plan commission to give favorable recommendation to the Greenfield Common Council for the PUD zone district.
The plan commission motioned to approve the PUD plan with the six additional commitments and carried 8-0. A motion to give a favorable recommendation to the Greenfield City Council passed 7-1, with Paulette Richardson voting for no recommendation.
