A new neighborhood proposed in Whiteland would drastically increase the town’s population in coming years.
Westport Homes wants to build 525 homes on 169 acres of land on both sides of Whiteland Road, east of U.S. 31. The proposed Saddlebrook Farms would have 265 single-family homes on the south side of Whiteland Road and a rental community with 130 single-story duplexes on the north side of the road.
The project would be one of the largest home developments in Johnson County in recent years and the largest in Whiteland, and is the third new neighborhood announced in the town this spring.
For Whiteland, a town with a current population of about 5,000 and about 1,900 homes, the new neighborhood would mean rapid growth for the community in coming years.
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“We’re not afraid of the impact it will make on our community at all,” Whiteland Town Manager Norm Gabehart said. “This is a positive for our community.”
The town has been receiving an increased amount of interest from home developers, Gabehart said.
The town approved rezoning land, which is just east of Elm Street, for the Westport Homes project earlier this week, and the town’s plan commission will need to approve construction plans, planning director Joe Csikos said. The area was previously zoned as farmland, but residential development was part of the town’s long-term plan, he said. Currently, the property where the neighborhood is proposed is farmland.
Children who live in the new homes would attend Clark-Pleasant schools. Last year, the school enrollment rose by about 100 students to 6,560, and the school district is the fastest growing in the county.
School officials were included in discussions about the new neighborhood, Superintendent Patrick Spray said.
“We are a growing community and school system. As long as our city and town officials include the schools in conversations regarding future development, we have the ability to plan for growth in the school system,” Spray said.
Acceleration and deceleration lanes will be added on both sides of Whiteland Road at the neighborhood entrances by the developer, but the town isn’t planning to make any other improvements to Whiteland Road currently, Gabehart said.
Westport homes will also donate about 16 acres of land for a public park on the south side of Whiteland Road. This would be the first public park in Whiteland, Csikos said.
No timeline has been announced for construction, but if the project develops as fast as other neighborhoods in the area, the town could experience a 50 percent increase in its population in the next five years, Gabehart said.
The developer has told the town that the single-family homes will sell for about $250,000, higher than homes in nearby neighborhoods, while the duplexes will rent for $1,000 to $1,500 a month, Gabehart said. The duplexes will essentially function like an apartment complex, he said.
Whiteland recently hired two new officers, and doesn’t anticipate needing more with the new homes, given how close they are located to the center of the town, Gabehart said.
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Here is a closer look at a new neighborhood planned in Whiteland:
What: Saddlebrook Farms
Where: Off Whiteland Road, east of Elm Street
Homes: 265 single-family homes on the south side of Whiteland Road, and 130 single-story duplexes on the north side
Prices: Developers estimate home prices at about $250,000, and rent at $1,000 to $1,500 per month
Schools: Clark-Pleasant
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