Kayla Lockhart Johnson, of Covington & Associates real estate, discusses her client's new subdivision on Cockerham Road, just inside the eastern edge of the city limits.
DENHAM SPRINGS - The Ivy, a proposed new subdivision, was presented Monday night as a big win for the City of Denham Springs.
58 new homes would be built off of Cockerham Road, just next to the eastern city limits. The 20-acre residential community development would feature a 2-acre lake, a white brick column entrance with wrought iron gate, as well as a smaller water feature.
The developer is working diligently with preservation groups to keep as many of the trees as possible, including 'award-winning camellias' the property description said.
Each home would be roughly 2,000 square feet and would start in the upper $200,000 range. They would include a front porch and side porch and, most importantly for current developers and homeowners, the sites are not ina flood zone and did not flood in 2016.
That statement, however, had homeowners currently living in The Willows and Meadow Wood Park subdivisions asking the question that's pervasive in new development conversations - what about the drainage?
Homes in 'The Ivy' would require no dirt fill and would not have to be built up, and the developers are asking for no variances. The entire subdivision met city codes, as well as Denham Springs' master plan vision.
That left the commission with little option when they passed their vote 5-0 to unanimously approve the subdivision.
Traffic was another concern, but representatives of the developer said the Department of Transportation and Development did not require a traffic study because the number of lots was under 100.
The 58 lots, when compared to Meadow Wood Park's 190 and the Willows's 300+ homes, create a small comparative footprint, the representative from McLin and Associates said.
Next, the site designs will be sent to the City Builder's office for inspection and drainage impact studies, as well as Gravity Drainage District 1 for analysis.
According to the economic impact analysis, the city would generate approximately $300,000 in fees, an estimate which did not include monthly recurring fees from homeowners, which include utilities.
