The News Herald (Willoughby, OH)
Brookview Reserve housing development moving as planned
Patience appears to be paying off for Pulte Homes.
The Medina-based company intends to break ground on its 73-acre development south of Great Lakes Mall more than two years after the project first was presented to Mentor Planning Commission.
Many revisions and a pandemic-slowdown later, the first phase of Brookview Reserve received a final plat approval recommendation from the Commission on Jan. 21. The plat still needs to go through City Council.
The project required rezoning a former horse pasture along Route 84 from R-4 Single-family Residential to RVG Residential Village Green and initially called for 115 homes on 50 acres. An
“Open space is the hallmark of the community. About 34 percent of the community is in open space, well-organized, creating great, active recreation space and also just quieter walking trails.” — Pulte Planning Director Jim O’Connor
informal rezoning request was reviewed in April 2019.
The developer later was able to secure the whole site and now proposes 174 units in three phases.
The zoning change and concept was approved by City Council in March.
“It was very surreal, when this project went through Council,” said Pulte Planning Director Jim O’Connor.
“It was the actual night that the governor issued the state-at-home order and everything got kind of put on pause for a little bit, and then we restarted it and finalized engineering.”
Phase 1 involves 71 dwellings. Eight housing styles are envisioned, with the average price in the $330,000 range and sizes from 1,800 to 2,600 square feet.
The development will target first-time buyers, such as young professionals relocating for a job.
“Open space is the hallmark of the community,” O’Connor said.
“About 34 percent of the community is in open space, well-organized, creating great, active recreation space and also just quieter walking trails.”
Another significant feature will be completing landscaping along Route 84 prior to homes being built. The traffic signal serving the site will be improved as well.
Development is to begin in May with construction of a model home completed in September, and January 2022 is the target
for a grand opening. Phase 2 would start the following spring, if all goes as planned.
“I don’t think that there’s
any question of our intent to move forward as quickly as possible with Phase 2,” O’Connor said.
Commission members
unanimously supported the plat after addressing issues including access to open space, drainage, landscaping and privacy issues.