Arbor Homes proposes subdivision containing 300 houses

City officials will consider annexing land northwest of Columbus to allow an Indianapolis builder to develop 300 single-family homes in one of the largest subdivisions the city has considered in a decade.

Arbor Homes is asking the city to annex 151 acres in Columbus Township for the proposed subdivision, Abbey Place, which would be located between Indianapolis Road and Interstate 65 near Princeton Park subdivision.

The company has constructed more than 10,000 new homes in central Indiana over the past 22 years, making it the state’s largest home builder, according to a media release.

Arbor Homes is seeking permission from the city to rezone nearly 118 acres for the subdivision project at 3770 N. County Road 200W. The property is currently zoned residential single-family 2, or RS2, but is seeking a change to residential single family 3, or RS3.

The zoning change would reduce the required lot size and increase the permitted number of units per acre under the city’s residential zoning district regulations, city-county planning director Jeff Bergman said.

The minimum lot size would be lowered to about one sixth of an acre if the change is approved, while the maximum number of homes per acre would increase from 3.5 to 5, according to the city’s zoning rules. Some of the acreage would be for common areas such as streets, stormwater retention ponds a park and walking trails.

In addition to the higher-density residential zoning change, Arbor Homes is seeking to rezone about 21 acres that would be designated as a general industrial zoning district under the city’s zoning regulations.

The Columbus Plan Commission will consider the annexation and rezoning requests Nov. 9. Residents will have a chance to weigh in on the proposed development during the public hearing portion of the meeting, Bergman said.

The commission will make a recommendation to the Columbus City Council, which will vote whether to approve the proposed requests.

Arbor Homes wants to build a mix of three-bedroom ranch-style residences up to five-bedroom, two-story homes, said Steve Hatchel, the company’s vice president of sales and marketing.

Homes in the Columbus development would range from 1,200 square feet to 3,200 square feet with options for basements, and most would have two-car garages, Hatchel said. The company plans to offer about 15 different house plans with several featuring master bedrooms on the first floor of a two-story home.

Arbor Homes has seen housing demand pick up in communities outside of Indianapolis over the past few years, Hatchel said.

The Abbey Place project likely would get started in late spring or early summer of next year, he said.

He described Columbus as a desirable location because of its schools, that it is home to Fortune 200 employer Cummins Inc. and its proximity to Brown County.

The firm is in the process of building a model home in the Bridge Pointe Estates subdivision in the vicinity of Marr Road and Poshard Drive near Columbus Municipal Airport, Hatchel said.

Arbor has contracts to build four or five homes in that subdivision, where the firm owns about 30 lots, Hatchel said.

The company’s website list building plans at Bridge Pointe Estates with starting prices ranging from $143,490 to $165,490, which does not include price of the land. There are 46 home sites available in Columbus’ Bridge Pointe Estates, according to the firm.

The type of homes being constructed at Bridge Pointe Estates are similar to what is being proposed for Abbey Place, he said.

The Arbor proposal is one of the biggest since Shadow Creek Farms was approved in 1999 on 298 acres south of County Road 200S and just east of Interstate 65. The subdivision, developed by Beazer Homes, has about 900 lots.

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The Columbus Plan Commission will consider the annexation and rezoning requests from Arbor Homes during its Nov. 9 meeting at Columbus City Hall in city council chambers beginning at 4 p.m.

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Indianapolis-based Arbor Homes began building in 1994 and has constructed more than 10,000 new homes for people in central Indiana over the past 22 years. The firm says it builds more homes in Indiana than any other home builder based on the number of housing permits issued in the state.

Besides Columbus, Arbor Homes currently builds in Indianapolis, Greenwood, Lafayette, Avon, Camby, Franklin, Greenfield, Plainfield, Brownsburg, Westfield, Marion, Shelbyville, Noblesville, Fortville and Kokomo.

For more information on the company, visit its website at yourarborhome.com

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