New Elicker Road Housing Plan Slated for Fall

Plans for a new residential community near Plum High School are under way.

The Plum Planning Commission unanimously approved the preliminary subdivision request of Colonial Pointe, a development off of Elicker Road, at Monday night’s meeting.

Tom Oslick was absent from the meeting.

Grasinger Homes, the subdivision developer, plans to build a 36-lot community on 20 to 22 acres of land near the high school.

Assistant Borough Manager Greg Bachy said voting on the development plan was a decision as to whether or not the plan seems feasible, and said he was not concerned of any conceptual issues from the development plans.

“They went far beyond what is required of a preliminary request. They provided a lot of detail,” Borough Engineer Robert Mitall said.

These details include a geotechnical report and erosion control plans.

The borough is still waiting for the developer to provide results from a traffic study.

The lots will range from about $170,000 to $250,000 said realtor Michelle Grasinger, and will be 10,000 to 13,000 square feet each.

The smaller lots would be typical of a three-bedroom, split-level home, Grasinger said.

“I feel this price range fills a nice housing gap unavailable in Plum,” Grasinger said.

The properties within Colonial Pointe would be suitable for families who are possibly looking to move out of a starter home without acquiring too high of a mortgage, she said.

The developer held off plans for a year because of the real estate market, Grasinger said, but since Grasinger Homes has been moving forward with plans, she said she has been getting positive feedback from the community.

“I’ve already had a lot of interest in this development, considering we have not advertised it at all,” Grasinger said.

Developers hope to begin new home constructions at Colonial Pointe this fall.

Grasinger Homes also has developed the Rustic Ridge and Green Valley communities in Plum, and the new housing will be similar to properties at Rustic Ridge, which have sold out, Grasinger said.

The developer owns 92 acres in which Colonial Pointe is being developed. Jon Sweringen, a Grasinger Homes representative, said such a large parcel of land is oftentimes originally presented with a master plan of the entire property, with phases breaking down various development projects for the real estate.

Sweringen said there has not been a master plan for the 92-acre property, and that Grasinger Homes is working section-by-section with this property. 

The rest of the land could later be incorporated into Colonial Pointe, or it could turn into a different development, Sweringen said. Right now, however, the company is focused only on the area currently being proposed for the subdivision.

“Who knows what the housing market’s going to do,” Sweringen said.