Developer's plan would add 72 homes to Greenfield east-side subdivision

Construction on the 20-acre project in the Keystone subdivision, southwest of county roads 100N and 400E, is slated to begin this fall, said Arbor Homes vice president of sales Steve Hatchel.

The newest section of Keystone, which Arbor Homes first began developing in 2004, will stem from Gondola Run and Mozart Drive, records state. Utilities including sanitary sewer, water, electric and storm-water systems already are available to the site, records show.

Houses in the subdivision, whose current 250 homes feature stone or brick fronts and vinyl siding, sell for an average of $180,000, Hatchel said. The developer sells about 45 homes per year in the subdivision, which has only four lots remaining for sale, he said.

Recently, the Greenfield Planning Commission approved the 20-acre addition to the housing development, which will bring the capacity of the subdivision to 330 houses when completed, Hatchel said.

The 194-acre subdivision permits two types of single-family residential development: 8,400-square-foot lots and 7,200-square-foot lots. Those purchasing homes from the developer have the option of one- and two-story homes ranging from 1,400 to 3,200 square feet, with the option of two- or three-car garages, Hatchel said.

Some ranch-style homes along the western edge of the subdivision are smaller, at about 1,200 square feet, because of height maximums imposed by the nearby Pope Airfield, he said.

The developer has been building new homes in Greenfield for about a decade, but it has been in the region since 1994. Arbor Homes began building in the Wyndstone subdivision in Fortville about two years ago, selling some 50 homes per year in the fast-growing region, Hatchel said.

Arbor Homes specializes in customized living spaces, meaning homebuyers will pick their lots and the style and layout of their house. The Arbor Homes website provides a dozen floor plans to guide homebuyers through their options.

Officials with the housing development company must seek approval from the Greenfield Board of Public Works and Safety before construction can begin, said zoning administrator Joanie Fitzwater. Once the board approves the plans, sale of the new lots can begin. Depending on weather, construction of houses in the addition could begin in early November, with residents moving in as early as March 2018, he said.

The housing market is heating up across the county, Fitzwater said, adding she suspects the announcement that Chinese car-parts manufacturer BeijingWest Industries will bring some 400 jobs to the region has something to do with the interest.

Home sales in the county in May rose more than 8 percent over May 2016, according to a report from F.C. Tucker Company.

“I would like to think our revitalization of downtown Greenfield and all of the great businesses and services we offer in the city are attracting new residents,” Fitzwater said.