A controversial Center Grove-area subdivision moved forward after the builder added several more commitments in an attempt to appease some residents in surrounding neighborhoods who were opposed to the project.
The Johnson County Plan Commission on Monday unanimously approved a plat proposal that will bring 154 homes to 91 acres of undeveloped farmland off Stones Crossing Road.
Developed by Miami, Florida-based Lennar Corp., Eagle Springs will sit between the Forest Hills subdivision and a minor rural residential subdivision, both with custom-built homes. The new subdivision will have an entrance on Stones Crossing Road and connect to dead-end streets in the Forest Hills, Hunters Pointe and Brentridge Estates subdivisions, which neighbors fear will cause congestion and more traffic accidents in the area.
Because the area is already zoned for this type of development, Lennar just needed a plat approval from the plan commission to move forward. But the commission failed to reach a consensus at its last meeting in February.
Both county planning staff and Johnson County Highway Department staff support the project, according to county documents. It meets the county’s development standards, said Michele Hansard, planning director.
“That is something I hope you guys trust the staff to do,” Hansard said during Monday night’s meeting.
The property has been zoned for this type of development for decades, said Brian Tuohy, a lawyer representing Lennar.
Lennar says it had two meetings — one in person and one virtual — with neighbors to address some of their concerns, though at least one neighbor said the builder made little to no effort to negotiate before Friday.
Lennar added several commitments to ones it had already made before last month’s plan commission meeting.
The plat initially included five commitments, including two requests by planning staff and three offered by Tuohy. The builder added at least seven more commitments after it met with neighbors to flesh out their concerns and come to some mutual agreements, he said.
The county’s planning staff had already requested adherence to the county’s housing design standards and an entrance to the subdivision from Stones Crossing Road subject to the county highway department’s standards. Lennar said no home in the development would have vinyl siding, ranch-style homes would be at least 2,096 square feet and two-story homes would be at least 2,772 square feet.
Some additional commitments included: a minimum of two trees installed in all front yards; best efforts to preserve any surrounding trees and tree lines; limiting construction traffic to the entrance of the neighborhood and installing “No Construction Traffic” signs on roads that connect surrounding neighborhoods; and a mandatory Homeowners Association that will not allow above-ground swimming pools, mini-barns, storage sheds, clotheslines or window air conditioners, while requiring specific fencing and mailboxes.
After hearing again from both Lennar and neighbors, the commission voted 6-0 to approve the plat, with members Ron West and John Schilling abstaining from the vote due to conflicts of interest. Both live within a mile of the development, according to online property records.
Nathan Bush and Gregg Cantwell voted against the development last month. Bush voted against the proposal on grounds that Lennar should install a passing blister at the subdivision entrance and the developer had not provided enough proof that the development would fit the 30% anti-monotony requirement per county standards, which calls for a variety of homes in a singular neighborhood.
The highway department has since requested that Lennar add a passing blister south of its entrance on Stones Crossing Road, as well as acceleration and deceleration lanes for westbound traffic, according to county documents. And Lennar provided images Monday to highlight that the homes are customizable.
The homes would be built based on four different exterior elevations and include some brick or stone. Ranch-style homes will be at least 2,096 square feet with an estimated starting price of $400,000 to $500,000, while two-story homes will be at least 2,772 square feet at a starting price of $450,000 to $600,000. The homes will look similar to those in Lennar’s Morningside subdivision in nearby Bargersville, Tuohy said.
Additional information provided Monday indicated lots in Eagle Springs would be, on average, 15,670 square feet, which is between 1,754 and 11,773 square feet smaller than lots in neighboring subdivisions, but does meet the county’s density standards, Hansard said.
Still, the neighbors were concerned the Lennar development would be too different than their large-lot custom-built homes nearby.
The development would have roughly the same quality and pricing as nearby homes, based on data from MIBOR, Tuohy said.
“The question of whether it’s a custom home or a national builder is really not up to this board; it’s already been rezoned,” he said. “These are high-quality, expensive homes. This site was going to be developed at some point.”
Dozens of remonstrators wrote letters in opposition of the project, and two wrote letters in support of it.
Forest Hills resident Kim Cowan pleaded again with plan commission members Monday to reject the proposal.
“This is nothing compared to what our homes are,” Cowan said. “We do not do things to the minimum in Center Grove.”
Traffic was another major concern among remonstrators. Several said regular accidents occur on Stones Crossing Road, including one last month in which a young driver leaving a nearby school went off the narrow road and rolled his vehicle. The accidents often cause power outages, several neighbors said.
“There is a very real traffic concern, and the solutions they’ve offered will just cause more problems,” neighbor Liz Fowler said.
Some remonstrators were disappointed in the plan commission’s decision, saying they had a responsibility to vote against it.
“I still believe our voices are not being heard,” Fowler said.
Others said it was an issue with the county’s standards, and that the plan commission’s hands are tied.
“The Eagle Springs issue brought to light that our plan commission is forced to make decisions based on a Subdivision Control Ordinance that needs to be clarified and updated,” neighbor Lisa Dickinson said.
Neighbors were also concerned about drainage and the area sewers’ ability to handle the additional homes. Some included photos in their letters of substantial flooding in their neighborhoods in recent years.
The Johnson County Drainage Board and Johnson County Technical Review Committee will review and vote on the construction plans and final plat. The Johnson County Board of Commissioners will also review and vote on final plans before construction can start.
