By Kevin Boneske
Staff Writer
HOWARD – A preliminary planned development district (PDD) to construct a 34-unit, three-story apartment building with 1,800 square feet of commercial/flex space and five 17-unit, two-story, multi-family residential buildings at 2450 Duck Creek Parkway was approved July 26 by the village board.
The preliminary PDD, which was recommended a week earlier by the Howard Plan Commission, includes the following conditions:
• The public trail is dedicated along Duck Creek Parkway.
• A space for a community entrance sign is dedicated on the corner.
• The Village Center lighting fixture is incorporated into the design.
The project developer, Mike Coppens, said in his application letter he believes the project “will work well as a gateway development along Cardinal Lane and Duck Creek Parkway.”
“A strong, showcase three-story building is planned with 34 units along Cardinal,” he said. “At the intersection itself, neighborhood commercial space and parking will be a part of the ground floor. The rest of the property will showcase two-story apartment homes, which feature prominent fronts connecting back to the neighborhood. Front doors and pathways will lead to a sidewalk along Duck Creek Parkway. For apartment homes facing Duck Creek, the development would like to connect front sidewalks to land dedicated back to the village for trail improvement connecting the Cardinal pathway to the Hidden Creek pathway.”
Coppens said he believes the project “can be a great mixed-use development along Cardinal.”
The PDD description he provided the village for the 10.1-acre site, which has been known as the Sturzl property, states the 119 units would have 238 projected residents, an average of two per unit, with a mix of one- and two-bedroom apartments, with one to two bathrooms and each unit having at least one interior garage stall.
Rents would range from $749 per month to $1,050 per month for a two-bedroom, two-bathroom unit, according to the PDD application, which also lists the total development project cost at $15 million.
Following preliminary approval, Community Development Director Dave Wiese said the final PDD, which includes more detailed drawings and engineering plans, must be submitted to the commission for its review before receiving final approval by the board.
Wiese said the village’s comprehensive plan has shown the area as more of a commercial space, so the mixed-use project would be slightly different, though there are plans for commercial use on the first floor of the large building.
Village President Burt McIntyre, who also chairs the commission, said he is happy to see the project come along.
“I’ve always felt bad going by that Sturzl property and thinking, ‘God, there should be something there,’” he said.
McIntyre said the project location is “the entryway to the village.”
“If we do it right, it’s going to look great,” he said.