The developer of a proposed subdivision at 11500 Randolph St. said he “went back to the drawing board and took input to heart” after meeting with town officials in September.
Revised plans for the 112-acre parcel were presented on Thursday to the Winfield Plan Commission by Michael Herbers, director of land acquisition and development for Diamond Peak Homes.
No action was taken by the plan commission.
The proposed subdivision, which would include a commercial area along with 52 townhomes and 167 single-family homes, would be located directly to the west of the Jerry Ross Elementary School.
The name of the subdivision would be The Elks.
Herbers said the commercial outlots would be located directly west of Randolph Street, then lead into proposed townhomes next, followed by single-family homes.
In September, Herbers had proposed building upscale five- to seven-unit townhomes, which would include two-car garages, private patios and a common courtyard.
Those plans were changed to his instead building three- to four-unit townhomes after planners gave negative feedback on the earlier designs.
Cost of the townhomes would be $375,000 to $450,000 and size would be 1,600 to 2,200 square feet.
The single-family homes would be in the $650,000 to $850,000 range, Herbers said.
Future discussion will also include traffic issues since the proposed subdivision is right across the street from an elementary school, planners agreed.
“The other elephant in the room is the traffic light,” Plan Commission President Jon Derwinski said.
Herbers agreed that his company would pay to put a traffic light at the entrance of the subdivision as well as add crosswalks.
Tim Clayton, who serves on the Town Council and Plan Commission, emphasized that “traffic is the biggest thing.”
“We’d have to see a rendering,” Clayton said.
Traffic was once again a chief concern when Todd Olthof of Olthof Homes proposed a 356-home and townhome subdivision called Copperstone on 121 acres at 5601 E. 117th Ave.
No action was taken by the plan commission.
Olthof presented several options to the plan commission with different plans as to how many single-family residences and townhomes would be built, and which amenities would be included.
Amenities discussed included a pickleball court, a professional putting green, a community garden, a playground and a walking path.
Architect Aaron Gardiner said townhouses would include the Napa collection, or two-story with three three-bedroom structures geared toward young professionals.
The Sonoma collection would be a single-story or ranch-style building with three bedrooms and geared toward “active adults.”
The average price of the Napa townhomes would be $330,000, with the Sonoma townhomes priced at $340,000, Gardiner said.
Gardiner characterized the style of the townhomes as “Northern California farmhouse,” featuring porches at the front for places for people to sit.
A fourth option presented by Gardiner was for Olthof to build a total of 334 homes, with 132 single-family homes, 117 Sonoma townhomes and 85 Napa townhomes.
The price of the single-family homes would cost an average of $500,000, he said.
The majority of the plan commission said they weren’t fans of the two-story townhomes but preferred the single-story plan and asked if the two-story townhomes could be removed from the plans.
“I like the single better than the two-story. I like the look of it,” Clayton said.
Plan Commission member Jim Hajek suggested mixing the two styles instead of eliminating the two-story townhomes.
Traffic, if the subdivision is built, continues to be a concern for plan commission member Mark Nelson.
He said traffic from 300-plus homes will be spilling out on an already busy area that includes a nearby middle school and nursing home facilities.
“Traffic is very busy at 3 p.m.,” Nelson said.
Olthof pledged $350,000 toward the construction of a roundabout in the planning stage at Gibson and East 117th Avenue and said he would return with a traffic study of the area.
Deborah Laverty is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
