Housing development with seven living options for seniors
MELBOURNE: A revolutionary housing estate design will now provide seniors with seven different living options.
The village of Sussex’s newest proposed housing development — south of Silver Spring, behind Kohl’s — is designed to appeal to a variety of lifestyles, whether homeowners want condos, a larger yard or even no yard.
Project Manager Bryan Lindgren of Neumann Developments Inc. said the development would have 291 units on 176 acres and would include seven kinds of housing: senior and multifamily housing; single family side-by-side units; townhomes with two-car garages; condominiums to target people who are downsizing; villas on 9,000-square-foot lots, medium-sized homes on 12,000-square-foot lots, and estates on 15,000-square-foot lots.
“These will have different price points and fit different lifestyles,” Lindgren said. There would be no rentals, he added.
A May 31 letter to the plan commission said the 291 units would accommodate a variety of zoning options, including a planned development overlay. Lindgren also wrote that 63 of the 176 acres would be permanently preserved as a community park and conservancy area.
The cost of the project is roughly $20 million, he said.
“We very roughly estimate the fully improved project would add about $115 million in taxable base to the village of Sussex,” he said.
Lindgren said he chose Sussex for the development because it is centrally located in the county and has high growth. “The school district is one of the most highly rated in the area,” he said.
Neumann Developments has been creating single-family residential subdivisions in southeast and southcentral Wisconsin since 2000, according to Lindgren. Since then, Neumann has developed more than 4,000 home sites, built more than 40 miles of roads and preserved more than 2,000 acres.
Lindgren said that this area has land that needs to be developed and will help meet a high demand for housing in the area.
“There is a housing crisis,” Lindgren said.
In response to questions from village officials, Lindgren emphasized there will be walking paths for residents to access village restaurants, schools, library and recreational amenities the village offers.
“Walking access is important to me,” said Village President Gregory Goetz.
Village Administrator Jeremy Smith said that walking paths and new subdivisions on the streets is a trend with the villages and is what Sussex is geared for.
“It is a great community feel when you can go where you want to go and it’s safe,” said Smith. He said he wants kids and families to be able to walk around and be safe.
“But we have this,” he said about Sussex. “People can enjoy our community.”
Whether Sussex needed more condos or not caused some discussion at the June 18 meeting.
Lindgren noted that the condo element of the development can be attractive for people who are downsizing. “People just don’t want to mow their lawn,” he said.
Smith said that he gets many calls questioning whether there are condos being built in the village. “We care about our seniors,” he said. “They (people living in condos) want to enjoy their lives. They still want to have the enjoyment of the outside space, but spend the time (previously spent) cutting the grass or plowing on something else,” he said.
Lindgren also said condos may appeal to millennials who are entering the housing market and want to own, but do not want as much maintenance.
Plan commissioners reviewed and approved the conceptual plan June 18. The commission is expected to consider the land-use amendment and rezoning request in August, followed by village board review of the rezoning and developer’s agreement. The project could be finalized by October, according to village Assistant Development Director Kasey Fluet.
If the project gets final approval from the plan commission and village board, construction could begin in 2020.
