May 11, 2006

By Lauren Heaton

The Village Planning Commission approved on Monday the concept plans for two residential developments proposed by Ken and Betheen Struewing at the southern stub of Southgate Drive, located at the south edge of the village.

Forrest Village West includes plans for 20 housing units on 17 acres west of the Southgate stub and south of Kahoe Lane.

Forrest Village East includes three clusters totalling eight condominium units on 1.73 acres to the east of the Southgate stub and south of Edgefield Drive.

Plan board members voted 4–0 to approve the plans at their meeting May 8.

Plan board member John Struewing, who is working on the development with his brother, Ken, recused himself from the discussion and the vote.

The developers are asking that Forrest East be rezoned from Residence A to Planned Unit Development-Residential.

Forrest West is already zoned PUD.

The Struewings have also applied for a vacation of Margaret Drive, an unbuilt Village right of way that connects Randall Road to the Southgate extension and runs through the proposed Forrest Village East.

They will submit their preliminary detailed plans and a request to rezone Forrest East to the plan board. If the Planning Commission approves the proposal, it goes to Village Council, which must also approve the zoning change.

The development’s final plans would then be presented to Planning Commission for approval.

After the meeting, Ken Struewing estimated that construction would not likely begin until next spring.

The plans for both developments are contingent on the vacation of Margaret Drive, which would affect the southern extension of Southgate, he said.

But Struewing was hopeful during the meeting, saying that he’s been encouraged by villagers and former clients for many years to build smaller homes on smaller lots, which would fit the needs of many Yellow Springs residents.

He indicated that he had applied several times in the past for Village approval for similar plans on the same property and hoped that his latest plans would serve the needs of the community.

In Forrest East, the townhouse/condominium style units are each projected to be 2,200 to 2,500 square feet and one to two stories with two-car garages. Two of the clusters would include three homes with shared walls, and the third cluster would include two homes with a shared wall. The access road would be a loop connecting to Southgate Drive.

The Forrest West homes are expected to range from 1,800 to 2,800 square feet on one or two stories with garages. The stand-alone “patio homes” would be situated on the eastern two thirds of the 17 acres. A homeowners association is expected to take care of lawn and property maintenance.

Village staff and Village consulting engineer John Eastman gave their approval for the concept plans, but several neighbors on Edgefield Drive expressed concern about the density of the development and ability of Southgate to handle the traffic.

Contact: lheaton@ysnews.com