South of Simon CRE’s Target development at U.S. 6 and Airport Road in Portage, Olthof Homes is planning to hit another target – affordable housing.
The Portage Plan Commission got a first peek Monday at a 42-acre subdivision that aims to provide homes for roughly $235,000 to $315,000.
Olthof Homes plans to build a total of 268 housing units, about 6.38 per acre, on the parcel, representative Kevin Paszko said.
Included are 34 single-family attached paired cottages, or 68 homes; 88 single-family attached one-car, two-story townhomes, with eight units per building; and 112 single-family attached two-car, two-story townhomes.
About an acre in the northwest corner of the subdivision is set aside for a future fire station.
“We’ve taken our cues from the city goals,” Paszko said, in attempting to provide the “missing middle” segment of the housing market.
“These would be a great fit for families moving out to live on their own for the first time,” he said. The housing units will all be owner-occupied, not rentals.
“We think projects like this have much more appeal,” with multiple housing types available to serve a mix of needs, Paszko said.
A detention pond on the northeast corner of the park would have a dog park with seating on the east side and a shelter, gas fire pit and seating area on the west side. Together, the detention pond and amenities total about 16.5 acres.
Because it’s such a large detention pond, it probably would have multiple fountains to aerate water and make the pond more attractive, Paszko said.
A homeowners association would handle maintenance, including mowing and landscaping, to keep the subdivision tidy and prevent outlots from becoming unkempt.
The subdivision is part of an 84-acre parcel being developed. This portion of the land was rezoned last year for higher-density residential use.
Paszko promised a few different home styles and a color palette for buyers to choose from to provide variety. The subdivision would be a planned unit development, giving the city more control over the development standards than typical zoning would allow.
One standard the homes wouldn’t meet is for minimum square footage on the ground floor, Paszko said. The garage takes up some of the ground-floor space but isn’t included in determining the amount of living space. However, each unit would be more than 1,400 square feet total.
Paszko said prices would be determined by market conditions at the time, but he’s expecting the paired cottages to be priced at $285,000 to $315,000, the one-car homes from $235,000 to $245,000 and the two-car homes from $265,000 to $275,000.
No approval was sought for the subdivision Monday; Director of Planning & Community Development Tom Cherry just wanted to give the commission a first look to help notice any concerns or make suggestions early in the process.
“It’s going to go further in the process, and we’ll still be able to discuss all this,” he said.
At the Development Review Committee meeting, various city departments, including police and fire, will review plans and offer their input.
“I do like that it’s affordable housing,” commission member Deb Ekdahl said.
“The yards are small, so the kids are going to need someplace to go,” plus a walking path to get there, she said.
Doug Ross is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
