Developers present Fieldstone concept as Harrisville requires 50% of homes at target price under new ordinance
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Summary
At a Harrisville project-management meeting, developers showed concept plans for a 5-acre affordable-housing site. City staff noted a newly adopted ordinance that lowers required affordable units to 50% and raised technical questions about setbacks, garage depths, road sections and utility coordination.
Developers presented concept plans for the Fieldstone subdivision and discussed how the project would meet a recently adopted Harrisville ordinance that changes density and affordability requirements.
City administrator Jenny Knight said the council passed the ordinance and that “only 50% of homes need to meet the target price,” a reduction the council approved to permit higher overall density in other parts of the code. Developers said their concept plans include options that rely on the ordinance and versions intended to stand on their own as a development agreement.
Why it matters: The change to require 50% of homes to meet the target price — rather than 75% — affects project economics and design choices developers must make to reach affordable-price units. Staff asked for mixed lot sizes so affordable homes are distributed among market-rate units rather than concentrated in a single section.
City staff pressed for design details that affect buildability and public infrastructure. They raised setback and porch-placement concerns tied to a 10-foot public-utility easement (PUE) behind sidewalks and asked the developer to accommodate a 15-foot front setback and the ordinance’s 25-foot garage setback so sidewalks and on-street circulation remain clear. Developers said they can meet the 25-foot garage depth but that doing so reduces backyard depth and affects unit layout.
Engineering and access questions focused on long block lengths and single access to West Harrisville Road. City staff noted the maximum block length is 1,000 feet and that the parcel under review is roughly 900 feet deep; the city asked the team to show how future neighboring properties could tie into circulation without creating safety or connectivity problems.
Utilities and stormwater were another key topic. Developers said sewer exists nearby and that a separate Pineview waterline project — requiring a crossing under a railroad — will affect secondary water timing. Staff said final will-serve letters and occupancy could be contingent on secondary water connections and requested hydraulic cross-sections and a clear sewer/storm plan.
Next steps: Staff asked developers to: provide a development agreement version referencing the new ordinance, submit cross-sections and elevation examples, re-run affordability/AMI calculations to justify target price assumptions, and coordinate stormwater and sewer alignment with public works. The city indicated it will require elevation presentations to planning commission to show how the project will look in the neighborhood.
No formal votes were taken at the project-management meeting; the discussion focused on technical revisions and submittal requirements.
