by Aaron Burns

HUNTERSVILLE – The town planning board voted 7-2 Oct. 23 to approve M/I Homes’ revised proposal for the Avery Park subdivision.

The plan now calls for 82 single-family lots on 42 acres, a decrease from the initial plan, which included 110 lots. The area borders Charterhouse Lane to the south, Wynfield Creek Parkway to the west and Gilead Road to the north.

Lot sizes, which were initially 40, 50 and 60 feet, will now be 65 to 75 feet in width.

Collin Brown, a lawyer and spokesman for K&L Gates, said the changes were “a very good effort on behalf of the petitioner (M/I Homes Vice President Bob Wiggins). “It’s the best plan we can put together.”

The measure now goes to the town board on Nov. 19 for approval.

Planning board chairman Bruce Andersen spoke out against the revised plan, citing area traffic as a major concern.

“Courtesy is the only way to get around the area (now),” he said. “And courtesy crashes do happen.”

Under the revised plan, the average price for an Avery Park lot will increase from around $270,000 to around $300,000, Wiggins said.

“We’ll have to go closer to $300,000 because (the lot change) is a business impact to our model,” he said. “By virtue of driving up the finished lot cost (due to larger lot sizes), you will have to have a more expensive home.”

The town’s 2030 Community Plan allowed for up to one house per acre of development in Avery Park. M/I Homes’ first proposal included 2.59 homes per acre. Its revised version includes 1.94 homes per acre.

Margaret Banks Basinger, who owns the land, said she needs to sell the property because she can’t afford the taxes.

“If I were a multi-millionaire that land would stay the same as it is forever. But that is not the case,” she said. “I need to sell the property. I’m confident (M/I Homes’ plan) is a plan I can be proud of and can enhance the neighborhood by bringing in new neighbors and new taxpayers.”