A subdivision planned in White River Township would bring nearly 100 new homes to the area.
The Johnson County Plan Commission Monday evening approved a primary plat for Florida-based Lennar Homes to construct a 96-home subdivision on 52 acres of land off of South Runyon Road on the northeast side of the county.
These homes would be single-family and zoned at R-2 residential, matching the zoning of surrounding homes in the area. The new subdivision, named Deerfield, would be built on a plot of land surrounded by the existing Brentwood, Auburn Trace and Runyon subdivisions.
Lennar plans for the home designs to be part of its Cornerstone series, said Ty Rinehart, director of land acquisition at the company. These houses are typically priced between nearly $400,000 to $500,000, according to listings on Lennar’s website.
The houses will be a mix of one- and two-story structures with building areas set between 2,800 and 3,000 square feet. The exteriors are planned to be a mix of masonry and cement-fiber siding, Rinehart said.
The county had previously already approved plans for this same subdivision in November, when the original plan was to build 66 homes on 31 acres. Lennar had since secured two additional land parcels to increase the acreage to 52, which required another approval from the county, according to the primary plat plan staff report.
With the plans for the new homes, some area residents are concerned about increased traffic in the surrounding neighborhoods.
Steve Watson, who lives in the Hunters Pointe subdivision nearby, is worried additional homes will increase the number of drivers who cut through his neighborhood to get from Center Grove High School to Olive Branch Road to avoid stop lights.
He was not opposed to the new homes, but he just asked the county to “take another look” at the increasing traffic problem in the area.
“This development is only going to increase the opportunity for people to use Hunters Pointe as a thoroughfare,” Watson said.
Roger Hicks, another nearby resident, also shared concerns about increased traffic on Runyon Road. That road would be the location of the primary entrance to this new subdivision.
“Traffic is bad now on Runyon Road, and they fly up and down that road. You need to slow them down,” Hicks said.
Ron West, a Johnson County commissioner who sits on the plan commission, said the county is “acutely aware” of the increased traffic problem on the northern end of the county.
The county is looking into adding speed control on roads in the area and placing sheriff’s deputies there, he said.
