As Princeton continues to grow, council considered another development plan that is proposing to build over 500 homes near its current Eastridge subdivision.

A representative of the Garden Homes of Venice development went before council during the Monday, July 11, regular meeting. The action item was part of a development agreement that would incorporate the proposed subdivision, currently in Princeton’s extraterritorial jurisdiction (ETJ), into the city’s limits.

Garden Homes of Venice would have two access points, according to the concept plan, with one off of FM 75 and the other connecting to CR 466. The developer is East Melissa Company and Armani Homes; McDonald Architects helped present the development plan at the meeting.

Shawn Fort, director of development services, said Garden Homes of Venice would include 205 multifamily residences and around 315 single-family homes. Part of the development agreement would include land use specifications after the land is annexed into the city because land in its ETJ cannot be zoned.

Per the agreement, the minimum lot sizes for conditioned space, or an enclosed area directly heated or cooled, would be 1,400 square feet for the multifamily housing and 1,800 square feet for the single-family housing, said Fort.

“That’s a little bit more than we’ve been asking for from some other developments,” Fort said.

Abdul Mohammed, representing the developer, told councilmembers there would be several amenities included in the subdivision.

“On the single-family side, we have multiple amenities like soccer fields, basketball and tennis courts and baseball fields, along with a swimming pool and gym,” Mohammed said. “Based on what we have seen in the McKinney and Princeton areas, I have not seen a subdivision with this kind of amenities.”

For the full story, see the July 14 issue of The Princeton Herald.