The Guthrie Planning Commission heard a proposal for a Planned Unit Development (PUD) within the R-1 district to allow the development of 314 new residential lots.
The commission approved the proposal to be heard at the next Guthrie City Council meeting.
The new development would sit on a 95.5-acre parcel of land, which would be known as Mission Hills Phase II located in the SW 1/4 of Section 20, Township 16 North, Range 2 West between Davis Road and the existing Mission Hills residential subdivision.
The proposal included requests for exceptions to minimum lot size, minimum lot widths, setbacks, lot coverage, street right-of-way widths and perimeter utility easement widths.
Ideal Homes, a home building company headquartered in Norman, is responsible for the possible development. The company has built homes in Edmond, Norman, Piedmont, Choctaw, Midwest City, Mustang, Moore and Stillwater. The opening of its presentation included a list of achievements and goals. The company has overseen the construction of more than 10,000 homes in its 30-year existence. Ideal Homes also claims to be the first home builder in America to create a zeroenergy home, meaning that the home has zero net energy consumption, for under $200,000.
The new development would use some of the same roads as the Mission Hills neighborhood. The new homes would be primarily single-family homes with two bedrooms and a two-car garage, but there are many models and architecture style that the company offers its customers – one of which offers a onebedroom layout. The lots are designed to sit on smaller lots than what is typical in Mission Hills to reduce lawn maintenance while still maximizing square footage. The new community’s target audience is young families who are potentially buying their first home.
Mission Hills residents showed up to the planning commission meeting to voice their concerns. This turned into an ongoing dialogue with representatives from Mission Hills that lasted almost exactly an hour.
One resident was concerned about the new development sitting at a lower level than Mission Hills, which they believed could possibly cause flooding issues. Another resident voiced his opposition because the construction of the development would lead to large trucks and construction vehicles using residential roads, which could possibly be a danger to the children who regularly play in the street. Others took issue with smaller lot sizes leading to smaller driveways, which would force people to park their cars on the street with 314 lots of new traffic coming in and out of the area each day.
Once everyone spoke their minds, the commission moved forward and allowed the proposal to go to the city council with the condition that Ideal Homes would have to adhere to the existing parameters for lot sizes in the eastern portion of the development, as well as any conditions the city council recommends in the future.
The Guthrie City Council will consider the proposal in its next meeting on Tuesday, Feb. 2.