A proposed residential development in Madison would include million-dollar homes, the site for a new school and grow the city limits by 118 acres in Limestone County.
The Madison planning commission approved the upscale residential development Thursday that includes plans for six homes to be priced at more than $1 million. The development, located off Hardiman Road near James Clemens High School, will include 201 homes.
The commission unanimously gave the OK for annexing 118 acres into the city and zoning for the property to permit the development. Both approvals will be forwarded to the city council for final approval.
According to a report from the city’s planning and economic development department, a private developer has plans for 201 single-family homes on unincorporated property in Limestone County west of Hardiman Road.
The report said the developer, Jeff Enfinger, intends to build six “estate homes” that would be sold for at least $1 million each. The six estate homes would have a minimum lot size of 21,865 square feet and home sizes at least 5,000 square feet. Those homes would front the north side of the proposed Halsey Drive extension and be flanked on the north and west sides by planned greenspace within the development.
The remaining 195 homes would be priced in a range from $400,000 to $800,000 – based on lot size and square footage in each house:
- $550,000 – $800,000: 43 large home sites with a minimum lot size of 14,250 square feet and home sizes between 3,000 and 4,000 square feet.
- $450,000 – $600,000: 57 medium home sites with a minimum lot size of 9,941 square feet and home sizes between 2,500 and 3,500 square feet.
- $400,000 – $500,000: 95 cottage home sites with a minimum lot size of 8,004 square feet and home sizes between 2,000 and 3,000 square feet.
All streets of the development would have sidewalks, the report said.
Enfinger previously developed upscale residential projects in Madison such as Clift’s Cove and Heritage Plantation.
“It’s not as big as Cliff’s Cove or Heritage Plantation but we intend for it to be a nice product,” Enfinger said in briefly addressing the commission. He also said that 17 acres set aside for a potential elementary school will be available to Madison City Schools at half the price he paid landowner Cecilia Halsey for the land to be developed. Enfinger said Halsey wanted the school to get the discounted land rate.
The city’s planning and economic department said it supported the annexation of the land and zoning most of the property for the residential development.
Three people spoke at a public hearing on the project at the planning commission meeting and raised concerns about increased traffic in the area before the commission approved the development.
The residential development would cover 101 of the 118 acres to be annexed. The remaining 17 acres would be reserved for the construction of an elementary school in several years, the report said.
Within the 101 acres for the residential development, about 24 acres would be preserved as open greenspace in a central location that would include a clubhouse for the development as well as walking trails that would be open to the public.
The development would also require an extension of Halsey Drive from Hardiman Road. The new road and the future school site are selling points for approving the development, according to the city’s report.
“Notably, the proposed project includes two critical infrastructure components: An east/west road and a new elementary school site,” the report said. “Both of these will allow the city and the school district to better accommodate increased demand and maintain service levels.”
Eventually, the report said, Halsey Drive would be extended to connect with Maecille Drive before the school came online.
The report said that the location of the future school property would also fit into the district’s long-term plans of building an elementary school in the western part of the city in Limestone County and be located on a collector road.
The extension of Halsey Drive “would advance the city’s transportation goals.”
The city report also recommended that mass grading not be allowed in the residential development and that mature, healthy trees within the development be preserved if possible.
“Staff recommends approval of the proposed request,” the report said in conclusion. “The development plan proposes a residential community that is well below allowed density with visibly appealing open space that will protect a meaningful amount of an existing tree canopy; the extension of Halsey Drive will make a significant contribution to the creation of an east/west connector from Hardiman Road to Segers Road; and the project provides 17.14 acres of land for an elementary school site.”
