JACKSON – Details of the proposed Jackson Parke South residential development began to emerge during testimony that was presented to members of the Jackson Planning Board and the public on Dec. 7.
The meeting was conducted in a virtual manner during the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
The developer of Jackson Parke South is proposing to construct 549 residences on a 129-acre tract off West Veterans Highway in the Cassville section of Jackson.
The public hearing was not concluded on Dec. 7. During a Planning Board meeting on Dec. 21, the Jackson Parke South application is expected to be given a continued hearing date in 2021. No testimony is expected to be presented on Dec. 21.
The applicant is seeking preliminary and final major site plan approval for Jackson Parke South. The project proposes 61 single-family homes, 144 apartments and 344 townhomes.
According to the application, 100 of the 144 apartments would be designated as affordable housing units. Affordable housing is defined as housing that is sold or rented at below market rates to individuals and/or families whose income meets certain guidelines.
The developer is also proposing to construct a 6,100-square-foot clubhouse with recreational amenities including a pool and a tot lot.
Attorney Jason Tuvel, traffic engineer Nick Verderese, and Mitchell Newman, the director of land acquisition and entitlements for the owner and applicant, represented the application during the board’s Dec. 7 meeting.
Discussion at one point during the meeting focused on the width of the proposed two-car driveways and the proposed garages at the townhomes. Several board members expressed concern with the dimensions of the driveways and the garages.
Verderese said the proposed garages can adequately accommodate two vehicles.
The driveways are proposed at 15 feet wide. Verderese said the general size of vehicles and the circumstance can accommodate two vehicles.
“I feel confident the (homeowner) could park (two vehicles) next to each other in the driveway if need be, and that someone could pull in and out of the garage safely and efficiently,” he said.
Planning Board Chairman Robert Hudak expressed concern about the width of the driveway and the garage and said he does not believe the applicant should be able to market the townhomes as having a two-car garage.
“No. 1, it does not fit the criteria, and No. 2, it is not OK to have two cars side by side in only a 15-foot-wide driveway. You would be stepping on the grass and that is just not OK. It should not be advertised as a two-car garage,” Hudak said.
Tuvel said marketing the homes will be a business issue for the applicant.
“Two cars can fit in the garage, if the homeowner wishes to do that. Two cars can fit in the driveway, if a homeowner wishes to do that. But from a legal standpoint … we comply with one space in the garage and one space in the driveway,” Tuvel said.
During his testimony, Newman said the 61 single-family homes will have several models and several elevations available. He said the homes would have four or five bedrooms, two-and-a-half to three bathrooms and a sunroom (or breakfast room).
The homes will range from about 2,400 square feet to about 3,200 square feet and “we anticipate they will be selling in the low to mid $400,000 (range),” Newman said.
The 168 proposed townhomes will be three stories each and contain about 2,800 square feet. The townhomes will have three or four bedrooms and two-and-a-half to three bathrooms. It is anticipated the townhomes will be priced in the mid $300,000 range, Newman told board members.
Newman clarified there are 168 townhomes proposed at Jackson Parke South; the 344-unit calculation combines the townhomes and the stacked townhomes.
Half of the stacked townhomes are proposed to be two-bedroom units and half of the stacked townhomes are proposed to be three-bedroom units. Each stacked townhome will have a one-car garage and a one-car driveway.
“The two-bedroom home is approximately 1,500 square feet and the three-bedroom home is approximately 2,100 square feet. The selling price for these homes is anticipated to be in the mid to high $200,000 range,” Newman said.
He said every stacked townhome would have a private separate entrance and a private separate garage.
“That is why we like to say these are stacked townhomes, sold condominium style, but living as a townhome,” Newman said.
In answer to a question that was asked during a previous meeting, Newman said buyers will not be permitted to purchase multiple units and break down walls to combine the units.
Each of the six proposed multifamily buildings at Jackson Parke South will have 24 units for a total of 144 units (44 market rate condominiums and 100 affordable housing units). There will be options for one, two or three bedrooms and unit sizes ranging from 800 to 1,200 square feet, Newman said.