Delaware’s southwest side is about to look very different. On Wednesday, the city’s planning commission signed off on the first phases of two new housing projects along Sawmill Parkway, opening the door to fresh single-family lots, a sizable townhome community and new public amenities on land that has largely sat untouched.
As reported by The Columbus Dispatch, commissioners approved the final plats for the single-family “Sawmill Farms” subdivision and the “Sawmill Towns” townhome neighborhood. The Dispatch also notes that Sawmill Farms is immediately north of the site where Olentangy Local Schools plan to build the district’s fifth high school.
What the plats allow
City of Delaware planning records and the rezoning ordinance spell out the bigger picture. About 61.1 acres west of Sawmill Parkway were rezoned for a single-family neighborhood, while roughly 141.6 acres to the east were set aside as a townhome planned unit development. The plats approved this week cover the first phases: a 53-lot, 21.3-acre section of Sawmill Farms and a 101-lot townhome phase east of the parkway.
Addison Properties is marketing the overall site as “Addison Sawmill,” a roughly 140-acre, for-sale community within the Olentangy School District. The developer describes a phased rollout of single-family homes and for-sale townhomes, with infrastructure and public-facing open space delivered in step with construction.
Parks, trails and roads
The plats carve out a hefty amount of green space. Sawmill Towns would dedicate about 38 acres to open space, including two active parks, wooded walking paths and a path around the stormwater basin. Sawmill Farms would reserve about 15 acres, featuring a 2.5-acre active park with a gazebo, walking trail and sports area.
The filings also detail new street connections. Sawmill Farms is set to add seven new roads, and both projects include planned access points to Sawmill Parkway to help manage traffic, as The Columbus Dispatch reported.
Fees, maintenance and access
According to city filings, the developer agreed to fee-in-lieu payments instead of immediately completing a major intersection upgrade: $89,385 for the townhome phase and $46,905 for the single-family phase, which comes out to roughly $885 per unit. Those same documents show that homeowners associations will be responsible for maintaining stormwater facilities and parkland, and the plats spell out a mix of full-access and right-in/right-out access points for the sites.
Next steps
With the plats in place, the developer can move ahead into engineering, permitting and early infrastructure work. Private streets in the townhome area are expected to be built to public standards with integrated sidewalks, and utilities and grading will be scheduled by phase, according to local planning coverage. After public infrastructure is installed, lots will be released for sale and builders can seek the permits and inspections required by the city.
For nearby residents, the approvals kick off a multi-year buildout that is slated to bring hundreds of homes and new parkland to the Sawmill Parkway corridor, while city staff and developers continue to sort out traffic, utility and construction timelines along the way.
