ASHLAND — Ashland City Planning Commission is set to vote on a preliminary plat design for a condominium development on farmland at the intersection of Smith and Baney roads.
Ashland City Planning Commission will meet at 4 p.m. on Monday, Jan. 8.
The seven-member commission does not approve or deny plans; it is tasked with recommending approval or denial to Ashland City Council. The final decision rests with council.
Preliminary plans call for 63 lots with 123 units on 46 of 58 acres. The plans show four roads that provide access to the 2-unit condos, labeled “A” to “D.”
Brandon Hunsinger, of Hunsinger Builders LLC, has named the development “Eagle Landings.”
When will construction start?
He said he doesn’t have an exact start date on construction. But he hopes his company can begin moving dirt for infrastructure — water and sewage systems, other utilities and roads — later this year.
“Structures, we’re shooting for some point in 2025,” he said.
Hunsinger Builders LLC purchased the farmland from Ward-Whitcomb Inc. in February 2021 for $390,510, according to Ashland County property records.
Hunsinger, of Mansfield, approached the city’s planning commission in August 2022. He then addressed council and concerned residents in October and said the plan involves constructing up to 73 two-unit homes there.
Ultimately, the planning commission recommended approval of a rezoning request from RL-1 to RL-2, which allows developers to build two-unit homes instead of single-family homes. Ashland City Council approved the rezoning request.
Concerns
Residents in the area have expressed concern over increased traffic to the intersection, reduced privacy and a bigger strain on utilities such as sewage lines.
Ashland Mayor Matt Miller has said increased traffic should not be an issue.
He’s also said the city does not plan on installing a traffic signal at the intersection of Smith and Baney roads and the city is not considering a traffic study to determine whether traffic flow would swell there.
The plan calls for two entrances into and out of the development — one along Baney Road and another along Smith Road.
As for concerns on putting a strain on sewage lines, the mayor has said the city can handle the projected increase to the lines. The city owns and operates a 10-inch pipe along Baney Road that increases to a 12-inch line further down the road, he has said.
Hunsinger’s plans reflect phases one and two of the development. Another 12 acres lie to the property’s northwest, which is labeled “future phase.”
Hunsinger said he does not have a timeline on when a future phase would begin, saying it depends on market demand.
The plan also states “there is a possibility to add single family condos to cul-de-sac lots and/or lots not wide enough to contain duplex buildings.”
Floodplain
A portion of the development lies within a floodplain, affecting 13 lots, according to the plans submitted to the city’s planning commission.
“Stormwater management/detention pond will be determined as engineering design progresses,” states the plan submitted to the planning commission.
Hunsginer said floodplain zones only represent where the water can reach, not where it is constantly.
“So you cannot construct anything in that predetermined area, but it can be on the lot. As long there are no structures built on the flood area,” he said.
The developer said he is satisfied with the project so far.
“Although no physical work has begun, there’s been much work in the preliminary planning stages. All the work right now is not physical, just electronic on computers — and paper,” he said.