Springfield officials hear plan for Fountain Village housing

Developer Craig Crossley told the commission plans call for construction of 54 single-family homes and 9 town homes with 23 total housing units on the 16-acre site.

He described all the homes as having an open floor plan with master bedroom, walk-in closet, and two-car garage at diverse price points, depending on how many beds and baths, including potentially a four-bedroom home with the addition of an 800 square foot bonus suite.

Lots are typically 52 feet wide and 120 feet deep, Crossley said. He projected the size and cost of a two-bedroom home to be 1,300 to 1,450 square feet with an entry level price in the low to mid-$300,000 range. Three-bedroom units will offer 1,580 to 1,600 square feet of space at a cost of $400,000-450,000.

Buyers will have a full list of options and upgrades for the homes, including an option for solar energy.

Crossley said he was educated by a group of local residents who brought the idea of including a solar option to his attention.

“We’re going to be mindful as we place solar panels,” Crossley said. “As people have those desires we will need to help them with the placement that works best for them and works best for us.”

There will be a Homeowners Association responsible for hiring professional management to oversee snow removal and lawn maintenance in the development.

Crossley said the home designs are tailored to fit in well with the Ridgewood area, but some Ridgewood neighbors in attendance raised concerns about the density of the homes, potential water and sewage issues and access and egress on the busy North Fountain and West McCreight roadways bordering the development.

Dan Fleisch, who lives on Brighton Road and will be across from the development, expressed concern for the density of the development and asked that the plan be reworked to address that issue.

“They are about to build 4.18 houses directly across from my property,” he said. “I understand we are in need of new housing, and I am in favor of it. I just think the plan needs a little work — if there’s anything that can be done to reduce the density. I always thought that new developments had to be contextual with the neighborhood they are going into. To see 4.18 houses across from my property strikes me as wildly inappropriate across a narrow street.”

Ryan Crossley, a member of the development team, stressed the project will retain as many of the mature trees on the site as possible and landscaping plans will also help to blend in the new homes with the older, existing properties.

Ridgewood resident Larry Ricketts asked the city to have an environmental impact study completed to assess potential water and sewer problems that might result from the additional housing, as some homes in the area have already experienced backups in the basement as the result of heavy rains.

City Manager Bryan Heck indicated the City Engineer’s office will complete a review as part of the process to assure there will be no negative impact to existing homes resulting from the new construction.

Adam Groshans, president of Mercy Health and Springfield Regional Medical Center, told the commission the hospital continues to be a major employer in the city and due to the shortage of available housing, much of the workforce commutes in from Dayton, Columbus and even Cincinnati.

“One of the biggest challenges we’ve had is the housing inventory shortage, which has made it difficult to attract additional workforce to the community,” Groshans said. “So as we look at this piece of land, we are changing our HR benefits to offer down-payment assistance as a differentiator to draw more members of our workforce to the community. We think this will be a lift not only for our hospital and this parcel of land, but for our entire community.”