Planning staff briefed the council on Nov. 6 about the final, undeveloped section of The Settlement neighborhood. The area lies between County Road 200 South (Bradford Road) and County Road 900 East and has been on-and-off the market for years due to the high cost of constructing a culvert/bridge over a stream on the site.

Why it matters: completing the subdivision would add residential lots and assessed value, but infrastructure costs—particularly a culvert/bridge across a waterway—materially change the economics. Staff said a single culvert/bridge could cost about $1 million to $1.5 million, and splitting that cost across 25–30 lots would make lot prices notably higher.

Options discussed: staff presented four paths for the council to consider: (1) approve or support a developer-funded bridge and standard development (developer builds the structure as part of lot development); (2) pursue a residential tax-increment-financing (TIF) approach so future assessed value could help fund the bridge; (3) buy the land for a park or preservation area (with potential pedestrian-only access to limit cost); or (4) sell the land to adjacent property owners (which would yield no additional assessed value for the town). Staff said annexation through Plainfield or routing service via Plainfield would be undesirable and complicate municipal service delivery.

Stakeholder input and economics: staff said the landowner, Tim Shroud, has spoken with several developers and that none have been willing to absorb bridge costs under feasible lot-price scenarios. Staff noted the possibility of reforesting the parcel or creating low-cost passive park improvements such as a walking trail or pedestrian bridge as lower-cost municipal alternatives.

Next steps: staff asked for council guidance on whether to pursue options such as a residential TIF, potential purchase for parks, or leave market options open. The issue will return for further discussion once the council provides direction.