Council approves Swanson Trails PUD after revisions to preserve wooded open space
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Summary
The council adopted three related ordinances approving a planned unit development (PUD) for an 80-acre Swanson Trails site, stepping zoning from R-2 to R-3 and then to PDR/PUD; the developer and city said the plan preserves roughly one-third (about 26.6 acres) as open space and reduces the lot count to 225.
The Portage City Council approved three ordinances (25-16, 25-17, 25-18) that collectively establish the Swanson Trails planned unit development (PUD) for about 80 acres at the northwest corner of 700 North and Swanson Road. The votes completed the statutory multi-step rezoning required by city code: R-2 to R-3 (25-16), R-3 to PDR3 (25-17), and adoption of the final PUD ordinance (25-18).
Todd Leith, representing petitioner Lennar Homes of Indiana, presented a concept plan that retains a large wooded area within the site, provides 26.6 acres of open space (about one-third of the parcel) and proposes 225 single-family detached lots in two lot-size ranges (50-foot and 63-foot widths). Leith said Lennar modified the plan after local outreach and plan commission review, reducing the lot count to preserve trees and shifting several lots to larger widths along the preserved woodland.
City staff and the developer emphasized the project’s design changes since the first outreach meetings: removal of a proposed 4-way stub road, additional tree preservation along Swanson Road and conversion of several lots from 50-foot to 63-foot widths adjacent to the woods. Lennar’s representatives said the PUD protects more trees than a straight, by-right subdivision would and aims to create trails and a small central park for residents.
Attorney comments and staff comparisons showed the proposed density (approximately 2.79 lots per acre) is lower than nearby subdivisions cited by staff; supporters argued the PUD offers better tree-preservation outcomes and site design than a by-right development. Council members who had raised concerns in earlier hearings — especially about multifamily uses and duplexes — noted the ordinance restricts the project to 100% single-family detached homes.
The three ordinances passed by roll-call votes (each 4–2 with the same recorded pattern of yes and no votes). Council members and developer representatives discussed next steps: detailed engineering, potential homeowners’ association (HOA) responsibilities for park/trail maintenance and the traffic review process (traffic-control devices and intersection treatments are handled by the traffic commission later in the approval pipeline).
Council members and staff said future points to address will include whether any portion of the park or trails should be accepted as a public park and, if so, how maintenance responsibilities and access would be handled.
