Jeff Thomas, co-owner and vice president of Oakmont Development, the developer for the Asherwood planned unit development, speaks to the Warsaw Plan Commission Monday. City Planner Justin Taylor is sitting in the forefront.Photo by David Slone, Times-Union.

By David Slone
Times-Union

WARSAW — For over two hours Monday night, Dec. 11, the Warsaw Plan Commission heard comments from the developer and remonstrators on the preliminary plat for the Asherwood subdivision planned unit development at the southwest corner of CRs 75N and 225E.

The biggest concerns from the remonstrators were regarding drainage, housing density and increased traffic. In the end, the commission unanimously approved the petition for the PUD, which next goes before the Warsaw Common Council.

City Planner Justin Taylor said the petitioner — listed as Joseph R. Herendeen — wants to subdivide 62.46 acres into 169 lots containing a mix of attached and detached single-family residential units. Lots 146 to 169 are proposed as attached single-family residential units, and all but 26 of the proposed 169 lots have sizes that conform to residential-1 zoning requirements, he said.

The nonconforming lots that make the PUD necessary average about 6,900 square feet, “which places them just under the square footage requirements for an R-2 zoning district.”

The petitioner also requested 5-foot side yard setbacks, “so that would make the houses a minimum of 10 feet apart if they went to that maximum,” Taylor said, throughout the subdivision except where inhibited by easements and corner lots, which is in line with a R-3 zoning district.

“As we evaluate the recommendation from the planning department, it’s important to keep in mind the overall health and the needs of the community. As we help facilitate developments like this, the lack of housing necessary for talent attraction and retention has been highlighted by studies and committees tasked with community development. Offering a mix of housing types within the same neighborhood is also a good practice to ensure greater access to utilities and services and a better quality of life to individuals with a variety of income levels,” Taylor said, adding that the planning department’s opinion was that the planning commission should give a favorable recommendation of the PUD to the council.

Jeff Thomas, co-owner and vice president of Oakmont Development, the developer for the project, said there will be two entrances to help with traffic flow in the way the PUD has been laid out. There will be public water and sewer, and they are working through the stormwater concerns and runoff with their engineers.

“We are planning on being able to contain all of our water ourselves, as well as being able to help some of the adjacent property, so we think that this project here could benefit storm (drainage) in the area. Obviously, any time you’re extending water and sewer, that’s a big advantage, not only for the development, but for the town as well,” Thomas said.

He reminded the commission they were before them before on a PUD project called Greenbrier out by the airport. With Asherwood, he said they have a mix of single-family homes, as well as some duplex lots in the villa section. The subdivision will be maintained by a homeowners association.

Monday’s meeting was just the beginning of the PUD process, he said.

Councilwoman Diane Quance said part of the PUD requirements were that recreational space be provided for the neighborhood, but while she saw green space she didn’t see recreational space. “Did I miss something in your plan?” she asked.

Thomas said she did not. “We don’t have much of that. What we have seen through trends and what we’ve been dealing with when it comes to common area, most neighborhoods, when we do parks they actually become a detriment to the homeowners association from a maintenance” standpoint, he said. There’s a lot of common area, but much of that is for water detention.

Thomas said anymore a lot of people keep swingsets and playgrounds in their own yards, as opposed to being in a neighborhood park. He said they work with the city and county on trails and greenways to get residents to whatever parks the cities and counties might have.

Quance disagreed with him because there are no public parks out in the area of the proposed PUD and “it is important we do accommodate for that” and the ordinance requires a recreational area.

The first remonstrator was Martin Kummer, who was concerned about a retention ditch or pipe going through his backyard in the new subdivision proposal. His other concern was traffic. He wanted the commission to table the petition so the developer could supply more details.

Throughout the meeting, the plan commission and city attorney Scott Reust reminded everyone that a lot of the engineering and specific planning work has yet to be done on the PUD. The plan commission meeting was just on whether or not the PUD was worthy of being moved forward.

Matt Foreman, who lives in Deeds Creek, said his concern was about the value of his house if the PUD goes in.

Rick Keeven, commission president, asked Thomas to address the pricing of the homes that will go into Asherwood. Thomas said they’re trying to meet what the current housing market in Warsaw is, so the units will range from $275,000-$280,000 for the duplexes and up to around $400,000 for single-family homes.

Area resident Mark Scrafton expressed his concern about traffic and drainage, as well as mosquitoes. Traffic also was a concern for William Smith.

Taylor said he looked at data from Michiana Area Council of Governments and the average daily trips on Old 30 was 5,000 to 6,000. On CR 75N and the southern extension of CR 225E, MACOG said there was about 2,500 to 2,700 average daily trips.

County roads 75 and 225E are minor collector streets, which are intended to have about 10,000 average daily trips.

Brent Messmore was concerned about the amount of houses in the PUD, as well as the volume of water.

A Hickory Estates resident, Rob Martin, was concerned that 169 lots on 62 acres was too much density.

After continued conversation about drainage, traffic and density, commission member Renea Salyer made a motion to approve a favorable recommendation for the PUD to the city council. Commission member Jim Gast seconded the motion, and it passed 9-0.

Once the city council receives the PUD petition, they can approve or deny it, and then retain the right to approve the final plat or send it back to the plan commission. Before the final plat, and after the council meeting, Taylor said there will be a technical committee review on it.

In another matter before the commission, petitioner Steve Snyder, on behalf of Holsclaw Trust, requested a preliminary and final replat to shift a lot line to accommodate access to an existing residential use at 910 E. Arthur St.

Taylor said the replat of lots within the Kist northern addition “is a slight reconfiguration of existing lots, as well as a merging of two smaller parcels to create 1.218-acre lot.” He said the proposed replat meets the development standards for a subdivision within an Residential-1 zoning district. Since the replat does not create or impact any public infrastructure, Taylor said it was the opinion of the planning department that the preliminary and final replat of the Holsclaw subdivision of the Kist northern addition should be approved.

Snyder said they were two previously platted lots, as well as vacated alleys. They are being consolidated.

“All we’re doing is making lots actually more conforming so they’re saleable,” he said.

The commission unanimously approved the preliminary and final replat.