Another growing area of Delaware County — the North Farms subdivision — got a boost from resolutions passed by Delaware County commissioners on Monday.
The first item approved were owner’s agreements for North Farms Section 3 and North Farms Section 7, Phase A.
“These will provide for the construction of the public street and stormwater systems on two subdivision phases totaling 38 single-family lots,” said Rob Riley, the county’s chief deputy engineer. “They will be built this coming summer.”
North Farms is along North Road, just off Lewis Center Road in Lewis Center. Builder Rockford Homes’ website said the houses have four bedrooms, 2.5 baths, with five designs ranging from 2,895 to 3,202 square feet. The prices start in the $340,000 range.
The other item was to establish a maintenance bond and returning a construction bond for North Farms Sections 6 and 11, and Enclave at the Lakes.
“The street and stormwater improvements have been completed at these two locations, serving 84 lots,” Riley said.
Builder M/I Homes’ website said Enclave at the Lakes is in Westerville, with 1,772- to 2,801 square-foot, single-family homes in the $353,900 to $365,900 price range. Both North Farms at Enclave at the Lakes are in the Olentangy Local School District.
“Both of these locations seem to be selling really well,” Riley said in response to a commissioner’s question. “Frankly, everything in the Olentangy School District is selling amazingly well. I don’t know if it’s going to come to an end. Hopefully, not.”
To help with the increased traffic, improvements will be made to Lewis Center and North roads in 2018-19. The county is paying for the engineering and Lewis Center Road work; Orange Township is picking up the tab for the work on North Road, with possible funding from the Ohio Public Works Commission.
In an email, Riley said the project includes:
• “Widening of Lewis Center Road to three lanes (which includes a center turn lane) from the Olentangy High School entrance to the CSX and Norfolk-Southern railroad. This matches the recently-built three-lane section just west of the (Olentangy) High School entrance;
• “Widening North Road to 24 feet of pavement from Lewis Center Road to the limits of the North Farms subdivision. The road is currently very narrow and with population growth in the area will see more traffic in the years to come. The developer of North Farms will be widening the road this summer along the subdivision frontage and the county/township project will match up to it;
• “Upgrading the intersection of Lewis Center and North road with a modern roundabout or a traffic signal. We will be studying both alternatives to see which one is best suited for the intersection;
• “Orange Township will also be following up the road work with construction of a bike trail along North Road and Lewis Center Road.”
The county will provide updates on the project at its website, www.delawarecountyengineer.org.