SCHOOLS
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By CANDY BROOKS |
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A developer of upscale condominiums is
negotiating with the Worthington Board of Education to purchase 17 acres of
vacant land along
In December, Dominion Homes announced it
would back out of its contract to purchase the land for $2.6-million.
The new potential buyer is Village
Communities, which built the condominiums on
Though the deal has not been sealed, the
Village Communities cash offer is similar to Dominion's, according to school
board member Bob Horton.
The deal would be a good one for the
schools because the development would produce few students for the already
crowded Far North elementary schools, and the property values would be
relatively high for the area.
"It's a pretty good win-win for the district,"
Horton said.
Dominion signed a contract for the
purchase of the land during a bidding war at an auction held by the school
board last summer.
It backed out of the deal, and forfeited
a $50,000 deposit, because of market conditions, according to a letter written
to the board.
State law requires school property to be
sold at auction, but if the contract falls through, a sale can be made through
private negotiations.
Village Communities plans to file for
rezoning with the city of
She presented preliminary plans to the
organization, which did not vote, but seemed to like much of what was
presented.
The FNCCC voted 6-2 against the Dominion
plans last fall.
Dominion wanted to build 102 detached,
single-family homes ranging in size from 1,200 square feet to 1,800 square
feet. The houses were to be six feet apart and range in price from $180,000 to
$200,000.
The new plan shows the one-floor
condominiums arranged in four-unit buildings, with a row of two-story condos
along the railroad tracks.
The one-story condos would be 1,500
square feet to 1,800 square feet and would sell for $180,000 to $230,000.
The two-story townhouses would be 1,850
square feet and would sell for $180,000 to $190,000.
The condos would be marketed to
empty-nesters.
FNCCC members said they liked the condos
more than the "starter homes" which had been proposed by Dominion
Homes.
"I prefer this to Dominion's cracker
boxes," said FNCCC member Eric Harned.
Not all of the density questions have
been answered, though, and the new developer needs to show its plans to
residents of Flint Ridge Terrace, the nearest subdivision, he said.
"My concern still is the impact of
this site," Harned said.
Plans show a fence and mounding along the
railroad tracks to lessen the noise impact.
Wooded land between the development and
Unlike the Dominion plans, the new
proposal shows a drive accessing
One person also pointed out that
cbrooks@thisweeknews.com