Council discusses starter home proposal

A new subdivision hosting smaller sized “starter homes” looks like being on the cards for Sundance.

Planned for the southern outskirts, Josh Kammerer’s provisional outline contains ten individual lots in two sizes – and it’s something the city council already seems supportive of.

“Our city needs stick-built two-level housing and that’s exactly what he’s got there,” said Council Member Randy Stevenson at last week’s council meeting.

“As the mayor, I don’t have a problem at all with what you’re doing,” agreed Mayor Paul Brooks, later adding, “We need some affordable, stick-built housing for our community.”

The mayor also spoke to the relatively small lot sizes in the proposal.

In the past, he said, he might have found that a problem – but not now, when the city has been experiencing a housing shortage.

“For many years, we’ve had kind of a hard and fast approach to what we would take for housing and for many years we haven’t got housing,” he said.

Kammerer addressed the council to get an idea of whether his plans might meet with approval once made official. At this time, he said, he is in the planning stages.

The subdivision would be located near the intersection of Black Buttes Road and 21st Street.

“It’s a fairly easy spot to get at least a few houses up and get that end of town looking nice,” Kammerer said. He told the council that some lots have already been staked out, should council members be interested to visit and review the site.

It’s a part of the city where the council has long wanted to pave the road, said Brooks, but this will first require sorting out the drainage at a low spot where the culvert is insufficient. City engineers Trihydro have already looked into the issue, he said, and will be asked to update the information for the council to look into further.

A water line already exists to the proposed site, though a sewer main will be required.

Though the plans are in their early stages, Kammerer told the council that he has already been cleaning up what was on the land previously. The house has been removed, he said, and a camper and outbuilding are soon to follow.

The next step will be for Kammerer to present an official proposal to the council to begin the process or review and approval.

“For the subdivision to be official, the plat must be filed,” said Brooks.