One step remains for 102-home development

The proposal for Hyland Glen, a Virginia Homes development of 102 singlefamily residences at the northeast corner of Hyland-croy and Post roads, cleared a significant hurdle Dec. 6 after Dublin City Council unanimously approved the required rezoning and preliminary development plan.

The Dublin Planning and Zoning Commission still must approve a final development plan before construction can commence.

“I think it’s going to be a great product,” Mayor Chris Amorose Groomes said after more than an hour of discussion Dec. 6.

City Council’s 7-0 decision to approve the rezoning and the preliminary development plan came after the applications were introduced but postponed Nov. 8 amid concerns that future homebuyers could not build patios of desired size owing to the lot sizes and required setbacks.

“This is now on us. If we are concerned, we have to address it,” Vice Mayor Cathy De Rosa said Nov. 8.

Groomes on Nov. 8 directed Nichole Martin, a senior planner for Dublin, to create models of what kinds of limits there would be on the construction of patios on the smallest lots in the proposed development for council members to review Dec. 6.

Jennifer Rauch, director of planning for Dublin, told council members Dec. 6 that the amended preliminary development plan provided adjusted setbacks that would allow for the construction of larger patios than initially was allowed.

Attention also was called to the desire of homeowners to build fences between backyards, but fences will not be permitted in the Hyland Glen subdivision, according to the preliminary development plan council approved Dec. 6.

Hyland Glen is adjacent to the Post Preserve neighborhood and near the Autumn Rose Woods development.

Fences are not permitted in Post Preserve or Autumn Rose Woods, Rauch said.

City Council’s approval of the preliminary development plan is the second step in a three-step process toward the start of construction on Hyland Glen.

The first was approval of a concept plan, which was achieved in May, according to a Nov. 2 memo from City Manager Dana Mcdaniel to City Council.

The second step was Dec. 6 when City Council approved the rezoning of the 42.5 acres from rural to a plannedunit development.

The last step is approval of the final development plan, for which there is no statutory deadline for the applicant to meet, said Andrew Kohn, a public-information officer for Dublin.

The final development plan is considered only by the planning and zoning commission, and after its approval, the applicant can begin filing for building permits and meeting other administrative requirements for construction, Kohn said.

The proposed development is the second attempt for a residential development after the parcel was annexed in January 2018 from Jerome Township in Union County into Dublin.

On Dec. 7, 2020, City Council rejected a proposal for 90 single-family residences and a 150-unit adult congregate living facility from the Schottenstein Real Estate Group that would have been known as Dublin Gateway.

“A lot of thought and a lot of detail went into this since the last applicant,” Charles Ruma, president of Virginia Homes, told council members Dec. 6.

The Hyland Glen project came into the public eye Sept. 16 when the Dublin

Planning and Zoning Commission reviewed and recommended approval to City Council for the proposal from the Paragon Building Group, doing business as Virginia Homes.

The 42.5-acre site has 12.4 acres of open space, nine public streets and a density of 2.4 dwelling units per acre, according to a city planning report.

Moorland Drive will provide access to the development from Hyland-croy Road, along with two other access points: Springview Lane, limited to right-in and right-out only access, and Holbein Drive, according to the report.

The proposal includes the extension of Springview Lane, Stillhouse Lane and Holbein Drive.

“We have put in a lot of work in the last six months to come up with something that Dublin wants to see there (and) are thrilled to be working on a new project in Dublin,” Ruma said Dec. 8.

The sizes of the single-family residences range from 1,800-square-foot ranch-style houses to 3,500-squarefoot, 2-story houses, with pricing starting in the upper $500,000s, he said.

“We hope to begin selling homes in the summer or fall of 2022,” Ruma said. kcorvo@thisweeknews.com @Thisweekcorvo