Council most recently voted to approve final plans for section one of the proposed development, to be called the Riverdale subdivision.
This first phase would include 58 single-family homes on a 21-acre section of the site.
The project, proposed for an 85-acre site that’s situated north of Little York Road, south of Interstate 70, and east of the Foxfire subdivision, would also include improvements to roadways near the development, costs of which would be split between the city and developer.
Previous failed attempt
The petition committee had collected nearly 700 signatures as part of its initial referendum effort earlier this year.
Using petition papers provided by the city of Vandalia, the group had collected a total of 797 signatures for the initial referendum effort, 683 of which were originally found to be valid and in excess of the 547 total votes required for the petition.
But that petition’s signatures were ruled invalid in May by the elections board due to errors discovered on petition documents that were distributed by the city.
Although the board of elections recommended the city of Vandalia give petitioners another 10 days to re-collect signatures on corrected forms, council voted to the contrary, ruling the petition invalid altogether.
Concerns with traffic, funding
Residents have consistently shared concerns about the project, specifically the quality of the proposed homes and how the new subdivision may affect traffic locally.
Some residents have urged council to hold developers fully responsible for the planning and funding of necessary roadway upgrades, in accordance with a traffic study completed this summer, prior to construction of any homes.
Council held a lengthy discussion on the topic during the Dec. 1 meeting, with some members agreeing developers should foot the bill for any upgrades, while others felt this stipulation would be unreasonable.
“This sends a message that we are not open for business by asking a developer to bear the expense of road improvements for something that right now exists regardless of whether that housing development goes in or not,” Councilman Corey Follick said.
Council ultimately voted 4-3 to approve the phase one plans, with a stipulation that the developer pay 20% of costs associated with necessary roadway improvements, at an estimated total of $175,000, and the city covering the remaining 80%.
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