Greenwood city council members are reconsidering bringing more than 200 rental homes to the city after council members shot down the proposal at their last meeting.
The Greenwood City Council on Monday agreed to reconsider a proposal to annex 32 acres of land into the city for the development of a 213-unit rental community. The ordinance failed by a vote of 3-6 on first reading May 17.
Dorob Holdings LLC, an Ohio-based developer, asked the City of Greenwood to annex 32.93 acres of farmland between 688 and 952 N. Combs Road, a few miles south of County Line Road, for the single-family homes and townhomes complex.
Council members voted down the request because there were not enough details about the proposed development, and some members were concerned about rental properties in general.
The ordinance was scheduled for a public hearing Monday, and Shawna Koons, the city’s attorney, advised the council to reconsider the first reading vote from May 17 so a formal public hearing could be held.
The council voted unanimously to reconsider the vote, and a public hearing was had. However, no one from the public spoke on the proposal.
Despite failing to pass initially, council members unanimously approved the proposal this time.
Eric Prime, an attorney representing Dorob, presented more details about the development, including renderings of the rental homes and a map of the proposed neighborhood. Neither were presented when the council first heard the proposal.
The community would be made up of all rental units built by Pride One, an Ohio-based construction company. It would consist of 117 attached ranch-style single-family houses, and 33 townhomes, all with garages.
The neighborhood would resemble a traditional single-family subdivision, except all the homes will be rentals priced at market rate, Prime said. There would also be a pool and clubhouse in the complex.
The developer also included a summary of the impact the development would have on Clark-Pleasant Community Schools in its new fiscal plan. If the annexation request is approved and the rental homes are built, the developer expects 105 school-age children to live there in the first five years.
Following the presentation, council member Mike Williams asked Prime what materials the builder planned to use in the complex. Prime said vinyl siding would likely be used because it is an exterior material listed in Greenwood’s zoning code for multi-family units, and it is also the most cost-effective.
Council member J. David Hopper, who in the past has been vocal against the use of vinyl siding in Greenwood, asked the council to add an amendment banning the builder from using vinyl siding. The amendment passed by a vote of 7-2. The builder will now only be allowed to use cement fiber siding or some form of masonry on the exteriors of the houses. Those materials add thousands more to the cost of building a house.
The proposal will come before the council again for a final vote at its June 21 meeting.
