“For many years we’ve heard feedback from the community…that there was a need for this kind of housing product,” said Nathaniel Kaelin, the city’s economic development manager.
“Without it we were losing the potential for new residents or retaining existing residents who wanted this type of housing.”
Earlier this month council approved the preliminary plans along with an agreement with Mitchell Development and Construction LLC.
The agreement includes a $1.2 million forgivable loan to the development company. The loan helps defray the estimated $5.6 million cost of purchasing the land, grading it, building concrete pads for the homes, digging a pond for stormwater detention, constructing a retaining wall, putting in underground utilities and building streets and sidewalks.
The villas would be constructed by M/I Homes. Contracts to purchase the land and with M/I Homes have been signed, said Brad Mitchell.
Each of the 34 buildings will contain two, owner-occupied units. Sixteen homes will have basements.
The plans for Whispering Hill were first approved by the city in December 2024 but never moved forward because developers walked away from the project after assessing the cost to prepare the site.
The city’s $1.2 million loan would come from its transformative economic development fund. It would not have to be repaid provided the Mitchells created developable lots for home construction.
Without that loan and agreement, the company would not have moved forward on the project, Jim Mitchell previously said.
The site presents development challenges because of the topography of the hillside property, Kaelin said, with many deciding not to pursue projects there after looking at the site.
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