PLUM HOUSING PLAN MOVING AHEAD

Work set to begin this summer along Coxcomb Hill Rd.

More than a decade after getting approval, plans for a residential development in Plum are resuming, as the borough and the developer finalize preparations before construction begins.

With the groundwork already laid, the Oakmont Heights subdivision will take shape in multiple phases, including more than 100 single-family homes and duplexes.

The site stretches over a little more than 50 acres along Coxcomb Hill Road, in the northwestern part of the the borough, less than a mile from the Oakmont Country Club.

“The sign is there, the road is built …,” assistant borough manager Dave Soboslay said. “Once we finalize this developer’s agreement, they’ll be out there building pretty soon.”

In April, Plum council unanimously approved the first phase of construction, which is expected to begin this summer. The first phase will encompass nearly 10 acres, including eight single-family detached homes and a handful of duplexes, Mr. Soboslay said.

The developer, Plum Property Associates, is expected to return to council in the next few months or so to request approval for the remaining phases, after the developer’s agreement is finalized.

Formerly known as Chambord Estates, the development was initially approved by the borough in 2005, Mr. Soboslay said. Conceptual ly, it has remained largely un- changed. But it originally included more residences, with nearly 160 duplexes and townhouses.

Although it was not immediately clear why work came to a halt, preliminary construction took place several years ago, including grading and the installation of water and sewer lines as well as the building of a road. A couple of years ago, council approved a revised master plan for the subdivision.

The plan is resuming as residential development has picked up in Plum in recent years.

While hundreds of acres throughout the roughly 30square-mile borough remain undeveloped — with hundreds more protected from development — a handful of residential developments are taking shape, borough manager Michael Thomas said. The borough has nearly 12,000 properties, most of them residential.

“We are experiencing significant growth,” he said. He noted nearly 1,000 newly proposed residential units, including the 110 in Oakmont Heights.

The growth is attributed to a number of factors, including a relatively low cost of living, Mr. Thomas said. Over the past five years, the borough’s real estate market has ranked among the most affordable in Pennsylvania, he noted, citing studies by real estate agencies.

And in addition to its proximity to Pittsburgh and surrounding population centers, the borough has consistently ranked among the safest communities in the country, he said.

“Homes are selling here,” Mr. Thomas said, noting that houses up for sale usually are sold in a matter of weeks or even days.