Commission hears petition for Windy Ridge development district on Eldridge Road; residents and commissioners press for more study

The Hamilton County Commission held a public hearing on Nov. 4 on a petition to create the Windy Ridge Residential Infrastructure Development District, a financing mechanism the developer says would pay for off‑site improvements to Eldridge Road and new water service for a proposed subdivision.

Mike Price of MAP Engineers, speaking for the applicant, told the commission the proposal covers roughly 463 acres with a cap of 300 homes (about 1.5 homes per acre) and estimated a build‑out valuation in the range of $300 million. He described a financing model that would issue a bond (the application lists $2,600,000 as the bond amount) and place a first lien on the property; new lot buyers would pay an initial $5,000 assessment and an annual special assessment of $1,200 that would rise in $100 steps every five years, the applicant said. Price described infrastructure quantities and costs including roughly 6,100 feet of waterline (about $1,000,000 in his estimate) and widening a section of Eldridge Road to 20 feet with 3‑foot shoulders (estimated $1,600,000). Price said he had discussed the concept with the county…