Homeowners and city of Delaware officials communicated concerns to Pulte Homes representatives about its development of residential homes in the city’s southeast area.
Development in the area goes back to 2006 when the Communities at Glenross came after the success of Glenross Golf Club, which contained the Parade of Homes — a showcase of builders and house prices — in 2005. In 2011, City Council approved an amended rezoning, preliminary development plan and preliminary subdivision plat for the golf club at Glenross and Communities at Glenross.
Sections north of Cheshire Road between Glenross Golf Course and the railroad were constructed or have received final plat approval in June 2014. In August, council approved amendments to the preliminary and subdivision plat plans for additional sections.
Pulte representatives sought approval from the City Planning Commission Wednesday night for amendments to the development for sections south of Cheshire Road. The revised plan would yield 487 single-family dwellings with 106 as single-family detached condominiums.
Commission voted 3-1 to have the amendments on the City Council agenda for Monday. Commissioner Dean Prall was the dissenting vote.
He opposed the requests because of location and material for the condominiums. Those dwellings would be located adjacent to the homes in the golf course area and would use vinyl sidings with natural materials, such as brick taking up 25 percent of the front.
But homes on golf course area have a different criteria that requires the use of all natural materials, Prall said.
Steve Peck of Pulte Homes said the vinyl material is necessary to attract parents, whose children have left home and are looking for a maintenance-free lifestyle. Using natural materials, such as HardiPlank, would require the house to be repainted again in 12 years, which is not attractive to that market, he said.
Additionally, Commission Chairwoman Lisa Keller said she was concerned how the condominiums, which she considered normal homes with the perks of a condominium, to affect appraisals of actual homes in the area. She also agreed with Prall about the vinyl material.
Planning and Community Development Director Dave Efland said the developers and the commission have no control over appraisals and that appraisers probably wouldn’t compare condominiums to single-family homes as it wouldn’t compare prices to a church on the corner.
Peck added that condominiums are valued at more than $300,000. He added that the house’s material is among the last items on the list for appraisers unlike the home’s size and the school district
“The material of the house is almost immaterial,” he said.
Homeowners attended the meeting to express concerns about the placement of ponds and a bike path in the plans. Peck said changes could be made in the engineering phase.
In other business, the commission approved 4-0 to have council approve a request from Fed One Dublin LLC for its approval of plans of its new building for Symmetry II at 105 Innovation Court. Officials from the Plain-City based contractor said the building will marketed to host multiple tenants.
Keller said the building will help drive economic development in the city.
“The city desperately needs available space,” she said.
