ASHLAND — A Mansfield developer hopes to bring a condominium neighborhood to Ashland.
But first, Brandon Hunsinger, needs to successfully rezone approximately 60 acres of farmland near the intersection of Smith and Baney roads. The current zoning does not accommodate two-family dwelling structures.
Hunsinger, a managing partner of Hunsinger Builders LLC, first presented the plans to Ashland’s planning commission in August. The planning commission then recommended approval of the zoning request to council.
Council has yet to act on the request, but set a hearing date on the matter for Oct. 18. It will be conducted in council chambers.
Hunsinger’s parents, Walt and Linda Hunsinger, developed Tower Lakes Luxury Condominiums in Mansfield starting in the late 1990s. Today, the condo neighborhood off of Straub Road is home to around 200 units.
Brandon Hunsinger’s plans on the land he purchased for $390,000 in January 2021, and has leased to a farmer since, are similar to that of Tower Lakes. According to the planning commission’s meeting minutes from August, the development, which would be built in phases over several years, would have between 175-200 units.
He said the community would have a homeowners association to manage property maintenance and other amenities Tower Lakes has, such as a pond and sidewalks.
Council briefly discussed Hunsinger’s request to rezone the land during its Sept. 6 meeting. At the meeting, Councilman Dan Lawson asked for clarity regarding the number of units in the development.
Brandon Hunsinger, in a separate interview with Ashland Source, said the property — if rezoned — would host two-unit structures.
“A unit is an individual living space. They would be two-unit structures. So the 175 units are addresses. There would not be not 350 structures,” he said.
Hunsinger, however, does not yet know how exactly many structures will be built.
“We don’t have that laid out just yet,” he said. “The first step is to rezone to build the type of structures we want to build. I think these will be in demand in the city and the county as a whole.”
Breaking ground, he said, could take up to two years.
“Getting everything rezoned and then the engineering process — that takes a good bit of time,” Hunsinger said.
All said and done, the condo community could take several years over phases to develop and represent an investment to the tune of an “excess of $10 million.”
Hunsinger said the units will be “median priced.”
“They’re not intended to be on the low, inexpensive end but also not through the roof. They’re not top of the line, luxury homes. They’ll be median priced for the average homebuyer,” he said, adding the community does not have an age requirement.
“Tower Lakes (in Mansfield) is not necessarily a retirement community. There’s no age limit. But in this portion of the state, these condo communities tend to be folks near retirement. Condo communities in bigger cities, those span all ages. But there are no age restrictions,” he said.
Brandon Hunsinger grew up and still lives on the east side of Mansfield, graduating from Madison High School in 1995. He began working for the family business full-time in 1999. He then married his wife, Stacy, who went through all her schooling in Ashland.
“We are local people, and we like to work close to home,” he said.
He said he’s done business with multiple firms in Ashland and he sees the growth of the area as an opportunity.
“I’m very impressed with what’s being done in Ashland, with its economic growth and the leadership,” he said, adding he has felt “100-percent welcome” so far.
Nevertheless, there are concerns.
During a Sept. 20 city council meeting, Councilman Lawson shared a constituent’s concerns for the development.
The person’s parents live near the proposed development, Lawson said.
“There were a number of concerns — that that was going to lower the property value of those homeowners in that area by rezoning that,” he said.
The second concern had to do with increasing traffic to the area. Third, the entrance and exit points of the development could restrict access to homeowners.
