Senior housing project planned

A new neighborhood in Trafalgar will offer more options for seniors in southern Johnson County, developers said.

Longtime Trafalgar resident and developer Mike Walker has proposed a neighborhood of 29 single-family homes and 11 duplexes on 15 acres of land on the northeast side of State Road 135 and Pearl Street.

Housing options specifically for seniors are non-existent in the town of about 1,100, Walker said. And many seniors would prefer to remain in their community, rather than moving further north, to Greenwood or Franklin, he said.

The home sizes would range from 1,600 to 2,200 square feet on quarter-acre lots, with a likely price range of $220,000 to $270,000, White Oak Construction owner Dave Wilson said.

Wilson described the homes as having a modern flair, with metal roofs, stone and hardy plank siding.

Development will happen in several phases.

Infrastructure work will begin this spring, with home construction to follow in June. Both Walker and Wilson said home construction will likely be a multi-year project. Construction on the duplexes will begin first.

The location is one Walker had intended to develop in 2007. He had received approval for the project from the Trafalgar Town Council, but with the downturn in the economy, he had to shelve those plans.

He said the timing is right to give the project another go.

“The feedback we’ve got is that it is very much needed,” Walker said.

This project is one that will fill a void in the housing market, Wilson said.

Trafalgar Planning Commission President Kip Payton described the project as a good addition to the community. The planning commission and zoning board have both approved the project, but final approval from the town council is still needed.