Plans for a 225-lot subdivision are moving ahead in Portage. The city council Tuesday approved a series of ordinances for a planned unit development for the Swanson Trails subdivision. It will be located on 80 acres at the northwest corner of Swanson Road and Porter County Road 700 North.
Attorney Todd Leeth, representing Lennar Homes, said the design has been updated multiple times, based on input from neighboring residents and the Portage Plan Commission. That includes saving a large part of the site's wooded area.
"We have a trail system throughout," Leeth told council members. "We have 26.6 acres of open space. A third of that 80 acres is open space, preserving those trees, providing for detentions, providing for the trails."
Leeth and Mayor Austin Bonta said that if the council didn't take any action, another developer could theoretically buy the property, tear down the trees and build more than 300 homes, under the current zoning. Bonta said he's concerned about the rate of residential growth, but he sees this proposal as a way to do it responsibly.
"A young boy said to me, 'Did we do it, Mayor? Did we save the woods?' I wanted to give him a big hug, but I didn't do that. I just said, 'Well, we've got our first steps,' and this preserves a great deal more of the woods than what could be done if any developer comes in and builds as zoned," Bonta said.
Swanson Trails will include 139 single family homes on lots with a minimum width of 50 feet. Another 86 homes will be on lots at least 63 feet wide. Leeth stressed that there would be no duplexes or multi-family homes.
Council members Ferdinand Alvarez and Melissa Weidenbach voted against the ordinances.
