Metro Development LLC was busy at Wednesday’s meeting of the Delaware Planning Commission, hoping to gain staff recommendation on two apartment complexes on the east side of Delaware, just off U.S. Route 36/state Route 37. In addition to the Seattle Home Apartments, which were approved for recommendation to City Council earlier in the meeting, the developer proposed a 160-unit complex, named Highpoint Place Apartments, that would be located on roughly 17 acres on Bowtown Road, directly west of the Village Gates of Delaware apartment complex.
The Seattle House Apartments proposed development would also be located on Bowtown Road, just east of the Kilbourne Road intersection.
However, the commission voted not to recommend the proposed development to council by a vote of 4-3. Despite the denial of recommendation, Delaware City Council has the final decision on the matter.
The proposed development would include 80 one-bedroom and 80 two-bedroom units, divided throughout seven buildings. Like the Seattle House Apartments, the complex would include a clubhouse featuring amenities such as a pool, office space and equipment, a cardio center, and an outdoor grilling space.
An expected price range for the apartments is $900 to $1,200, like the Seattle House Apartments, and would target residents with a $40,000 yearly income for the one-bedroom apartments and a $75,000 yearly income for those renting a two-bedroom unit.
Six of the buildings would be three stories in height, with the seventh building that is located closest to the existing houses along Bowtown Road being two stories.
The proposed development is pending a rezoning amendment that would shift the land from R-6 Multi-Family Residential District to R-6 PMU, which would add a Planned Mixed Use Overlay District.
Commissioner Jim Halter expressed concerns about the amount of apartments being built in the same general area, wondering if the city will reach a point where it decides there are enough apartments in that particular section of Delaware.
In response to Halter’s concern, Planning and Community Development Director Dave Efland said, “I think those are definitely good questions and good points, not just on the east side or west side, but citywide, and something we should talk about within the Comprehensive Plan and policies as we’re developing that plan and looking to the future of Delaware.”
Dave Gordon, a co-owner of LED Investments, which is located just south of where the apartments would be built, was on hand to oppose the development. Among other issues, he spoke of concerns surrounding the ability of Bowtown Road to handle the additional traffic, stating the road is only 15 feet wide and would need improvements either now or soon enough.
City Project Engineer Jonathan Owen was not able to speak on why there are currently no requirements for improvements on Bowtown Road, saying, “I tend to agree with the thoughts expressed about Bowtown Road being narrow and in relatively poor condition.”
He went on to say, “I can’t speak to the fact of why we’re not requiring improvements to Bowtown Road. I’ll have to defer to the city engineer for why we’re not requesting, as part of the (project) conditions, any improvements to Bowtown Road.”
