[ back ]
Sterling Lakes presses for more townhouses
(by Sali McSherry - December 23, 2009)
Sterling Lakes presses for more townhouses
By SALI McSHERRY
Planning consultant David Hartt convinced at least one member of Pepper Pike City Council and Mayor Bruce H. Akers last week to reconsider Forest City Enterprises' new phasing plan for a portion of the Sterling Lakes development.
Discussions are to resume in January.
William Sanderson, of Forest City, asked if Pepper Pike Law Director Christopher Gibbon would draft the appropriate wording of an amendment to the development agreement while council considers the proposal.
But Councilwoman Gail Mayland objected to paying the law director to draft the legislation when council has not agreed to move forward on the request. Other council members agreed.
Council requested that Mr. Hartt summarize his presentation for next month's meeting.
The developer is seeking to increase the number of townhouses in a portion of the Point, which is south of Brainard Road and separate from the other part of the development.
The additional units would be less expensive than existing ones. Neighbors at the Point reiterated at last week's meeting that they oppose the proposal. They expressed concerns about decreased property values, increased traffic and parking issues.
The first line of 16 townhouses Forest City wants to build would be nearest to Interstate 271, a buffer for the rest of the Point, Mr. Hartt said. The Point, which is the area south of Brainard Road that backs up to Village Square Shopping Center in Woodmere and is adjacent to Interstate 271, has six units, some priced above $450,000, that are sold and occupied, and eight built on speculation that are unsold, Mr. Sanderson said.
Currently, the area is approved for the building of 93 units but Forest City, which has a potential deal with national company Pulte Homes if the development agreement is amended, wants to increase the number to 132, beginning with three-story townhouses that would be narrower in width than was approved in the development agreement. The units would be a different type of product and cost less than the existing units, at a price between the low $200,000s and low $300,000s, Mr. Sanderson said.
Mr. Hartt said the changes requested by Forest City were not dramatically different from what had been approved in the agreement, namely square footage of the units and an increase in the percentage of dwelling units from 27 percent to 46 percent. Doing something proactive when they have a potential deal with a builder is better than not doing anything at all, Mr. Hartt said.
The project will have lost its momentum if there's no new building going on, and the perception potential buyers might carry could be negative, or in other words, that it's no longer an attractive place to live, he said.
Doing nothing with the property would not be advantageous to homeowners at the Point or the city, Mr. Hartt said. The market has been flat due to the economy, and that has affected builders and developers dramatically, and the prospect of another deal with a builder could be a long time coming, he said.
Mr. Akers and Councilman Frederick Taft both initially opposed to the new plan, said their tunes changed after hearing Mr. Hartt's presentation. It makes sense that doing nothing could be worse in the long run, Mr. Akers said.
The 16 townhouses could serve as a buffer from Interstate 271 and there could be an opportunity to create a more intimate, comfortable area for homeowners, Mr. Taft said. He was amazed that a builder would take the project on because it appeared high risk.
If the 93 units are built, Mr. Sanderson said the company would be amiable to constructing two units at the Point for every unit built in the interior of Sterling Lakes, which has single-family homes. Initially, the vision there was to build bi-plex and tri-plex units, he said, but builders found that buyers wanted single-family homes.
Councilman Richard Hankins asked who the buyers would be, considering senior citizens do not want three floors and they do want a first-floor master bedroom, which isn't part of the proposed townhouse plan. Families with children typically want single-family homes with yards, he said.
Councilwoman-elect Jill Miller Zimon asked Forest City to supply market information that supported the company's assertion there are buyers for the units.
Mrs. Mayland said she is concerned the units won't sell and ramifications of that potential scenario.
Last summer, Forest City pitched the concept of a skilled-nursing and rehabilitation center on the eastern portion of Sterling Lakes on the south side of Brainard Road but council did not support the idea.
[ back ]
