‘The Wilmington’ is one of the more popular patio homes in Designer Series offered by Fischer Homes.
Submitted photo
CLAYTON — City council held a workshop session June 20 with Schnicke Development Group to discuss the potential development of 183.1 acres near State Route 48 and Sweet Potato Ridge Road.
The land is bordered by the cities of Englewood to the south and Union to the north.
The current zoning is RSD, Residential Single Family. The proposed development would be called ‘Wenger Village’ and would consist of a mix of “flex residential” and single family attached homes with some park space within the subdivision.
“Flex residential” means a mix of business and residential.
“With the Clayton Improvement District, our code requires that anything over five acres or creates more than five parcels be zoned a PDD (Planned Development District), so if this does move forward it will have to go through the planning commission process and then come back before council as a PDD,” said City Manager Amanda Zimmerlin.
A PDD provides more flexibility for both the city and developer to be able to negotiate a plan that both parties want.
Matt Gaston, vice president of land development with Schnicke Development Group, attended the workshop.
“Housing is a big issue across the whole state,” Gaston said. “Prices have gone up a lot and there are a lot of factors that have gone into that. Right now, there is just not as many (home) listings because most people have a three or four percent mortgage, so why would you move?”
He noted that homes listed for sale today are 70 percent fewer compared to 2016.
“Just the chances for somebody to move into a house has been dramatically reduced,” Gaston said. He also pointed out that the Dayton region as a whole has been lagging behind in new construction to keep up with replacement homes and population growth, albeit small, by about 500 units per year since the 2007 recession.
Developing attainable housing has not been the focus for most home builders because there hasn’t been a need. Existing homes usually met that demand, according to Gaston.
“Today, that is not the case so getting something that people can actually buy that is in the $270,000 to $400,000 range, which is still a ton of money but cheaper than almost any other new construction out there is really important in keeping housing costs down,” Gaston said.
The plan by Fischer Homes shows a density of three homes per acre within the development with 50 foot by 130 foot lots and 68 foot by 130 foot lots for patio or duplex, single floor homes for empty nester/retirees.
Other lots at 55 by 130 feet lots is what Fischer Homes calls ‘Maple Street’ entry level homes in the $290,000 to $400,000 price range.
Also offered are ‘Designer Series’ home that offer a higher finish and size in the $400,000 to $600,000 price range. The majority of the homes would be built on a slab foundation but some of the more expensive Designer Series homes would include basements.
The development included a community pool, parks, walking trails and an effort to preserve as many of the existing trees on the site as possible, although the site is mainly a cornfield.
The site drains to the north where stormwater retention would be built to control runoff as well as a small area located to the southwest.
A total of 555 dwellings was included in the proposed plan with 40 percent of the land set aside for open space. The 50 by 130 foot lots would include ‘build to rent’ detached single family units.
“It’s not nearly as dense as an apartment complex, but it gives the community a mix of different housing stock to meet the demand of the market,” Gaston stated.
In conclusion, Gaston said, “We are really excited it’s a 183 acre parcel. We are trying to fit it into Plan Clayton and the existing zoning to make something that makes sense to the community. It’s right next to Main Street and we feel like the infrastructure is there to actually sustain development. It’s not out in the middle of nowhere.”
Councilman Ryan Farmer asked Gaston that if all of the greenspace in the layout was removed (about 67 acres) what the density of construction would be. Gaston said it would amount to about five units per acre without the open space.
Councilman Kenneth Henning asked if the development was contingent on a TIF (tax increment financing district) being in place.
“I wouldn’t say it is contingent. I would think the public amenities would definitely be pared back if there was not a TIF because there wouldn’t be the funding to put in as big of a park or as many public use facilities,” Gaston said.
The proposed development would have to be presented to the planning commission for review and if approved would then be presented to city council for a vote.
Reach Ron Nunnari at (937) 684-9124 or email [email protected].
