Entry Level Housing Update

Culver Citizen - Culver Chooses Site for Entry Level Housing DeJeff Kenny did a nice job on the coverage of the Entry Level Housing discussion at the Town Council.  I’ve included the scans of the article here if you want to read it.  (I only included the portion discussing Entry Level Housing.)  I think you can blow up the scans on the right so they are legible.

I’m pleased that things are moving forward, but frustrated that they have moved as slowly as they have up to this point.  All of the sudden we’re in a crunch to get things done since the grant deadline is November 2nd.  Because the decision finally came down to putting the development on my property, I’ve been thrust into the position of getting the variances, abatements, etc. in my name.  Most of this is going to require special meetings due to the timing.  Not a big deal, but it’s all about time…

Culver Citizen - Culver Chooses Site for Entry Level Housing 2Jeff also did a side bar article on the property and my history with it.  It was cut up a bit as it appeared in the paper, so I’ve included the text here instead of doing scans. That also let me put links into some of the things he mentions in case you want to follow up.  The side bar article follows:

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It’s Constitution Day!

Happy Constitution Day!  Congress created Constitution Day in 2004 and chose September 17 as the day to celebrate it based on that being the last day of the Constitutional Convention in Philadelphia in 1787.  Take the quiz at the Washington Post site here if you want to learn more.  Hint:  Apparently Benjamin Franklin is never the correct answer…  <sigh>

Take a moment today to remember the 39 brave men who signed that document in 1787.  Their courage and commitment should be celebrated.

Extended Territorial Boundary

Culver’s Current Zoning Boundary in pink with the approximate 2-mile limit shown in the outer ring.

When I was driving down Hwy 117 the other day I noticed that Mystic Hills has added a couple of new buildings that I’m guessing are rental cabins.  I’m glad they are doing well, but I was a bit surprised to see them as I hadn’t remembered any discussion regarding a site plan revision at the Culver Plan Commission.  I wasn’t sure how the mixed use had been approved.  Then I remembered…  Mystic Hills is outside Culver’s Zoning Boundary.

It’s unfortunate, but the Plan Commission members (and me!) were fairly disheartened by the Town Council’s decision to overrule them on the wind turbine ordinance.  Rightly so, they believe that this probably killed any chances of extending our territorial authority.

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Zoning Irony…

Charley Creek Inn – Proposed Expansion

I just returned from Wabash where I made a presentation to obtain a “Certificate of Appropriateness“.  This was required before I could obtain a Demolition Permit necessary to remove a deteriorating old building.  I was required to submit floor plans, elevations and a perspective rendering of the proposed new construction.  How ironic that on the way back to the office I listened to a NPR piece on Houston, Texas where they don’t even have Zoning!

Sand Hill Farm Update

Sand Hill Farm
Sand Hill Farm

There have been several status changes to Sand Hill Farm this Spring.  The first was the retirement of the County drainage easement through the property.  It was replaced by a new easement to the Town of Culver.  This was part of the agreement with the Town that saw the relocation of the storm drain from running diagonally across the property to a new location along the property line.  This also included removal of a large area of brush and scrub trees which generally improved the property.  The second was the inclusion of Sand Hill Farm in the talks regarding Entry Level Housing for Culver.  I have served on Culver’s Task Force looking into this issue and helped with the Request For Proposals (RFP) that went out to developers earlier this month.  I have been contacted by one developer who has shown interest.  We shall see how it proceeds from here.  The goal of the RFP is to explore opportunities to obtain an Affordable Housing project that can be parlayed into additional market rate housing through an additional portion of the property.  

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