Huber’s planning commission voted unanimously Tuesday evening to recommend council approval of the new project, which includes proposals for a mix of studio, 1-, 2-, and 3-bedroom apartments.
City council’s next work session is scheduled for Tuesday, Sept. 19, followed by a regular meeting on Monday, Sept. 25.
This is the second developer to propose a housing complex on this site, after Homestead Development LLC backed out of a similar $40 million plan earlier this summer, to construct senior housing and apartments on the site.
Huber Heights City Council voted in January 2022 to authorize an agreement between the city and Homestead, which outlined construction of two residential properties, including approximately 192 multi-family housing units and around 133 senior housing units.
Homestead withdrew from the multi-phase project in June, citing labor shortages and rising construction costs as contributing factors.
At Tuesday’s planning commission meeting, city staff said Continental Properties held multiple public meetings to hear residents’ feedback.
Continental’s proposed project includes both two- and three-story buildings. The smaller two-story buildings would be adjacent to the single-family homes west of the site, with a 120-foot buffer, in response to concerns from Ansbury Drive residents.
The three-story buildings would line a new public street, Heritage Crossing Drive, which plans show roughly bisecting the Marian Meadows site north to south.
“This arrangement will break up the building massing along the western edge,” planning commission documents state, adding that the developer also planned for a 120-foot variance between the apartment buildings and the single-family homes.
Project plans also include a dog park, community facilities and a pool for residents, along with two areas of open space.
City plans for the surrounding Marian Meadows site include a new senior center and city offices, to be constructed next to the new Dayton Metro Library Huber Heights Branch on along Brandt Pike.
This new building along Brandt Pike will house the senior center, as well as space for city staff and conference rooms. The current senior center, located at 6428 Chambersburg Road, will be renovated to house either the city tax or water department, both of which are currently located in leased offices on Chambersburg Road.
City council chambers, along with the clerk’s office, will move from City Hall to the new Marian Meadows location, assistant city manager Bryan Chodkowski noted. These current spaces in City Hall will be renovated to add additional office and conference space.
Just south of the proposed housing development is the newly constructed Dogtown Huber Heights location, which opened earlier this year.
The city is also in the process of redeveloping half of the dated strip mall on the property, which is comprised of two separate buildings southeast of Dogtown.
Huber Heights has seen a housing development boom in recent years, with the Continental development one of a growing list of residential and business proposals in currently in the works throughout the city.
During Tuesday’s meeting, planning commission member James Jeffries raised concerns about potential side effects of the quick growth.
“At some point, don’t we need to go back and look at (staff levels) for police, fire, roads and public works five years ago versus now after the additions?” Jeffries suggested. “We’ve had growth in the last 10 years and I don’t know that that’s translated into bodies on those staffs.”
Mayor Jeff Gore, who was in attendance, took to the podium to respond, noting that city council held a vote during its Sept. 11 meeting directing the city manager to hire an additional four police officers to form a new traffic control unit.
“We’ve been down five police officers, just from retirements and things ... so, (with these four), there will be a total of nine additional officers coming onto the force,” Gore said. “We’ve listened, we’ve heard (the concerns) ... and we’re going to fix it.”
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