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WINONA LAKE – After reviewing the preliminary plat for the Tuscany subdivision Tuesday for almost an hour, the Winona Lake Plan Commission approved it unanimously.
The commission will have to approve the final plat at a future meeting.
The proposed 33-lot subdivision will be on 12 acres on South CR 250E. Most of the homes will be slab construction, according to what the developer presented at the plan commission’s April 10 meeting. Lots will be 65 to 75 feet with a depth of 140 feet, and homes will cost $180,000 to $280,000.
Developer Jeff Thomas, co-owner of Oakmont Development, Fort Wayne, presented the finished plans and engineering to the plan commission Tuesday.
He said the sanitary sewer comes from across the street and will have to be directionally bored under the street. The sewer will all be on the south side of the road, and taps will be extended across to each lot.
There will be a lit entrance sign, and a streetlight somewhere in the center and at the other end of the subdivision.
The utility plan shows the storm sewer and sanitary sewer, but no water. The subdivision will have wells, Thomas said.
“The water cost to do the project is about $8,200 a lot in order to extend the water.
... To throw a well in is about $4,000. And again, we’re trying to provide housing, something that is affordable, something that we can do. That was just more than we could handle,” Thomas explained.
Commission President Dave Turner said all the houses behind the proposed subdivision were on wells.
Thomas said they were “shocked” at the cost of providing water.
“All the developments we’ve done, we’ve run anywhere – with the water companies we’ve dealt with in Fort Wayne – from $2,700 to $4,200 or so per lot and run water. This was twice that,” he said.
Rick Swaim, commission member, asked if a sidewalk was going to put in along CR 250E. Thomas said they will.
“We’ll run it along where we own,” Thomas said.
Bruce Shaffner, commission member, asked Thomas if he’s talked to the post office regarding mailboxes in the subdivision.
Thomas said he was planning on having clusters of boxes, anywhere from four to eight boxes on one stand. They’ll be on one side of the street.
“I just did a development and they would not allow mailboxes,” Shaffner said. “And they said that was going to be a new thing going forward. And you’re not talking to Winona Lake post office, you’ve got to talk to Warsaw post office on this. And they’re not as flexible as Winona Lake is.”
Thomas said that was interesting and he will contact the post office.
“They made me change what I was doing. Just FYI,” Shaffner said.
The commission also discussed the retention pond, drainage, elevation, storm sewer, erosion control, housing association covenants and a host of other issues.
Town Coordinator Craig Allebach asked Thomas about the project’s timetable.
Thomas said sewer work can begin once they’ve received their permit from the Indiana Department of Environmental Management.
“We were waiting on this meeting, our Rule 5 and then we’re ready to start. It could be next week,” Thomas said.
327 IAC 15-5 (Rule 5) is intended to reduce pollutants, principally sediment, that are a result of soil erosion and other activities associated with land-disturbing activities.
Thomas estimated the project is within 48 hours of having its Rule 5 permit.
