This rendering shows a preliminary design plan for the proposed Madison Meadows mixed-use development in Plain City. The 104 acres of land would house three sub-sections of mixed-use housing and a 12-acre park open to the village. A public hearing was held at the planning and zoning commission Wednesday to rezone the property from agriculture to residential, but no formal decision has been made.
(Rendering submitted)
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A proposed development is back up for discussion in Plain City.
Several residents attended the village’s planning and zoning meeting Wednesday for the public hearing discussing details and concerns for the proposed Madison Meadows development.
Annexation measures have already been taken to bring the 104 acres of land owned by F&T Hostetler Farms, LLC, into the village limits; the topic before the zoning board Wednesday evening was rezoning the land located at 10885 Lafayette-Plain City Road from agriculture to mixed residential use.
Gary Smith of G2 Planning and Design spoke at the meeting on behalf of Highland Real Estate, the company looking to have the land developed.
“What we tried to accomplish is to create a mixed residential development using more traditional neighborhood principles,” Smith said of the early design plans. “In doing so, what we really tried to do is incorporate a multi-generational approach and bring a mix of housing to this project that really the village has communicated to us that they really need.”
Those early plans show the 104 acres broken into four sub-sections of mixed residential and park use: 157 units of single-family residential housing planned for the south and east side of the property, 208 units of mixed family residential to the west, 110 units of age-targeted housing to the north and a 12-acre plot of park space at the center of the property that would be open to the public.
Smith said a number of houses were dropped from the mixed family plans at the village’s request, bringing the initial total down from 505 units to between 450 and 500 units.
The development would have a density of 5.4 units per acre, which falls just below the village’s comprehensive plan requirement.
Although the development would be under the Madison Meadows name, the three residential spaces would be separate neighborhoods with individual homeowners association boards, Smith said.
“We don’t have a buyer for the individual parcels yet,” he added. “We’ve done enough research to know that there are a number of people interested in those parcels so we believe they will sell.”
Much of the concern from residents came in the form of traffic issues and flooding. Although the land is on a rural edge of town, the development would be across Perry Pike from the existing Country Place condos and adjacent to the Meadows development. With residential housing already on the road, residents fear an increase in traffic—especially considering the new development would tie into the Meadows.
Smith said a traffic study has been done which factors in all of the proposed development’s outlets: two off Plain City-Lafayette Road and one off Perry Pike.
“There would have to be improvements in the form of turn lanes,” Smith said. “We would have to put in left turn lanes into the development.”
A number of residents brought up concerns over storm water retention and flooding issues.
Smith said there would have to be sewer infrastructure changes and that those costs would be incurred by the developer.
“With all the regulations we have, new developments end up solving more problems than we create,” he added. “We’ll have over four acres of ponding to help relieve the water.”
As mentioned, the parcels don’t yet have buyers but the prices are expected to be in the middle to high $200,000 for condos and $250,000 to $300,000-plus for single-family homes.
The commission did not vote on the rezoning but said the information presented would be brought to the next village council work session for discussion next month.