McCORDSVILLE — A developer wants to bring more than 430 new homes to the town’s south side.

The proposed neighborhood would be split into two parts — one with more traditional single-family homes and the other with a smaller, low-maintenance product targeted to empty-nesters. Leaders are more supportive of the former but have concerns about the latter. They also want to make sure the project fits in well with one planned nearby.

Indianapolis-based Arbor Homes and Silverthorne Homes are pursuing the development, called Shadow Grove, on just over 200 acres west of Mt. Comfort Road and north of County Road 600N, with County Road 650N bisecting the site.

Caitlin Dopher, senior entitlement manager for Arbor Homes, told Mc-Cordsville Town Council members earlier this week that the nearly 130 acres north of County Road 650N is proposed to have 246 lots of Silverthorne Homes’ product. Those come in 11 different floor plans as well as single and two-story, with base sizes ranging from 1,800 to 3,300 square feet. Dopher anticipates average price points ranging from $450,000 to $475,000. Minimum lot sizes in that part of Shadow Grove would be just over 10,000 square feet.

South of County Road 650N would be a low-maintenance community on 78 acres with 188 lots targeted to empty-nesters. That product consists of ranches with five floor plans ranging from 1,500 to 3,200 square feet. Minimum lot sizes would be 7,800 square feet. Dopher said all yards in the south section would have sodding and irrigation systems, and added the section would restrict playgrounds, trampolines and basketball goals. She anticipates price points between $375,000 and $395,000.

“We’re really excited about this project; we think it’s a great fit for the town,” Dopher said.

Arbor Homes and Silverthorne Homes plans to seek rezoning the site from its current residential designations to a planned unit development that would have specific development standards the developers and town leaders would agree to.

One of the proposed architectural standards is requiring masonry on half the homes. Vinyl siding is proposed to be prohibited in the north section, but Dopher asked the officials to consider allowing it in the south section, adding it would require less maintenance than fiber-cement siding.

Officials expressed concerns over vinyl siding given how close the proposed development is to Mt. Comfort Road.

“I think it’d be a different issue if it was one of those internal larger farm tracts, but this is right on our corridor,” said town council member Larry Longman.

Leaders said they also want to ensure the homes in the north section fit in well with another residential development planned just to the north. Grand Communities, a land development company based in Erlanger, Kentucky, affiliated with Fischer Homes, is pursuing a neighborhood there called Broadview Farms. The firms are proposing town-homes, duplexes and low-maintenance lots along with 50-, 60- and 80-foot wide lots for traditional single-family homes. Broadview Farms’ 80-foot lots are proposed near Shadow Grove’s north section.

The town wants Shadow Grove to include an attached-home product as well due to the future commercial uses anticipated in the area of Mt. Comfort Road and County Road 600N. Dopher noted about 3.7 acres has been reserved for that. She added while neither Arbor nor Silverthorne offer an attached product, the companies are willing to have conversations and negotiations with builders that do offer it.

Shadow Grove would also have a trail system and preserve about 13.5 acres of woods, where the developers are seeking town leaders’ feedback on potential neighborhood campsites. Town council members like the preservation of the woods and were open to the campsites, but wondered how they would be policed.

Amenities on the north side would include a pool, pool-house and playground, while the south side would have a community garden and pollinator gardens.
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