Three dozen patio homes are being proposed for about 10 acres in Sunbury.
There was a public hearing for the preliminary development plan and a first reading on rezoning legislation at the Jan. 8 Sunbury Village Council meeting.
The land, near the northwest corner of state Route 3 and routes 36/37, would be rezoned from Planned Commercial District to Planned Residential District.
“It’s right behind the Advance Auto Parts,” said Sara Radcliffe, an attorney for Kephart Fisher, representing the applicant, Sunbury Plaza Limited Partnership. “We’re going to be developing 36 high-quality building design, single-family, first-floor master bedroom, ranch-style, empty-nester patio homes in a traditional neighborhood design on small lots.”
It was said Romanelli and Hughes would be the home builder. The homes would be roughly 1,450 square feet, including basements, porches and garages. Each homeowner will own the property and house. One of the homes may be used as a model. Driveways will be 18 feet wide. The streets will be privately owned and maintained. There would be about 2.5 acres of unimproved open space, with sidewalks throughout.
“The patio homes are designed for the 55-and-older age group, that will provide for a homeowners association that will maintain the exterior lawns, landscaping, snow removal; and thereby that will satisfy a strong need that’s represented in the Village’s Comprehensive Plan to provide age-oriented housing for older citizens who desire a more maintenance free lifestyle,” Radcliffe said, adding the site would be developed in one phase.
Sunbury’s Planning and Zoning Commission has already approved the rezoning with three conditions, focusing on sidewalks and fencing. The ordinance states the first condition as “provision of a pedestrian sidewalk for connectivity from the cul de sac to the existing sidewalk along Prairie Run.”
Mayor Tommy Hatfield said public comment on the project at a past zoning meeting was mostly positive. Council President Joe St. John praised the developer’s landscape and tree replacement plans.
No one from the public commented during the hearing portion of the meeting.
