It’s back to the drawing board for a development planned for construction on Creekview Drive.
The Marysville’s planning commission voted 5-2 this week to table an application for a section of housing at the north end of Mill Valley.
Stavroff Land and Development initially came to the commission in March with an early version of the plan. The development would consist of 110 single-story units, each coming in at 1,350 square feet. The average price range will likely be about $240,000 per unit.
The units will be geared toward older buyers.
Gary Smith, of G2 Planning and Design, spoke to the commission about the changes to the project.
“We’ve come a long way, we think, since we’ve started this project,” he said.
In March, commission members asked the applicant to be mindful of drainage on the land, and then-chair Scot Draughn asked the developer to be “creative,” with the development.
Smith said they believe they’ve created an attractive option for buyers.
“These materials are designed to intermingle with each other,” he said.
Schacht expressed concern about the nearly identical look of every unit. The only major variation in the plan presented Monday was siding color.
“Is there any variation we can do,” Schacht asked. “I think the same layout is fine, but maybe if you don’t have the same trim.”
Commission member Brett Garrett agreed, saying even tiny variations could help break up the uniform look of the development.
“I understand color variation is helpful, there’s no question about that,” he said. “Very minor things can make it look very interesting.”
Smith said the developer wouldn’t be able to commit to those changes, at least immediately. He said altering the homes in that way requires authorization from Ryan Homes’ corporate office.
“I don’t think we’re asking for full, massive changes,” Schacht said. “The same thing over and over again is what we’re trying to avoid.”
Schacht also took issue with houses whose rears can be seen from Route 31. He asked if there was any way a more decorative material could be used.
“Right now, this is not interesting to me, it’s not interesting to people who come to Marysville,” he said. “It’s static.”
Jim Ohlin, of Ryan Homes, said his priority is making sure residents “don’t even know there’s a road there.”
Schacht said to him, interesting architecture is better than a neighborhood “walled off by trees and shrubs.”
“We want something nice-looking, picturesque, that welcomes people into Marysville,” he said. “This is going to be right on our border.”
Ohlin simply responded, “I have zero flexibility to change the back.”
The applicant will return at a future meeting with changes based on commission input.