By Kelly Cantwell
Editor
M/I Homes of Cincinnati, LLC asked the Batavia Township trustees to change the zoning on a piece of land where the company wants to build a subdivision.
The zoning hearing was held during the April 4 trustee meeting. M/I Homes asked to rezone 61 acres from “R-1” Single-Family District to “PD” Planned Development District. The zoning commission passed on the recommendation to the trustees for approval with conditions, said zoning administrator Denise Kelley.
M/I Homes wants to build 113 lots, 80 of which would be in Batavia Township and 33 in Union Township, in a subdivision the company is calling Estrella, which is Spanish for star, said Jonathan Wolker, a planning consultant for McBride Dale Clarion that the township contracts with.
“We’re really excited about this opportunity,” said Matt Walker, vice president of land with M/I Homes. M/I Homes is almost finished building Wetherby Farms, also known as The Woods at Wetherby, in Union Township.
The lot will be 91 acres total, 61 of which are in Batavia Township. The property is on the north side of Clough Pike at Founder’s Boulevard. M/I Homes does not plan to develop the northern 25 acres, 11.8 of which are in Batavia Township, right away.
None of the lots will be shared between Batavia and Union Townships, Walker said.
M/I Homes would like to build a new street to intersect with Clough Pike across from Founder’s Boulevard to provide access to the development. The company is planning to build one entrance street to the development with five cul-de-sacs.
M/I Homes plans to make the minimum dwelling size of the homes 1,500 square feet. The smallest single family lot proposed is 8,320 square feet.
The average price of the homes would be $300,000 or more, Walker said.
The company also prepared a traffic impact study, which found that growth projections on Clough Pike will rise to unacceptable levels, however, the Estrella development will not be the cause, M/I Homes said the study showed.
The Clermont County Planning Commission recommended trustees approve the zone map, but said the county requires that the township build a 50 foot long left turning lane into Estrella.
In addition, Estrella does not have access to public sanitary sewer, something M/I Homes needs to remedy.
Wolker recommended the trustees approve the zoning change with the conditions, which they did.
“We are very excited to welcome MI Homes and their new Estrella development. The layout works very well with the terrain and the challenge the property is located in both Union and Batavia Townships. The timing works great with building of the new West Clermont High School and I feel the neighborhood welcomes the new addition,” Trustee James Sauls Jr. said.