Annexation approved for land where new homes would go | Local News
Defiance County commissioners approved an annexation request Thursday for a property just outside Defiance where a housing addition is proposed.
Commissioners approved an annexation petition for 52.371 acres in Defiance Township during their regular session Thursday.
The property, owned by Aaron Zimmerman, is located on the northwest corner of the T-intersection at Carter Road and Ohio 15 in Section 36 of Defiance Township.
The annexation will go to Defiance City Council for approval following a requisite waiting period.
Council recently approved legislation stating the municipal services that the city government would extend to the property following annexation into Defiance.
A preliminary site plan for a project on the site involving the construction of 80 single-family homes will be considered by the city’s planning commission in April, according to Defiance Mayor Mike McCann.
The commission would make a recommendation on the site plan to council which will have the final say on the matter.
He said city officials are planning to meet with the developers — Duane and Jhonelle Kees of Zion Real Estate Development in Fort Wayne — next week.
“I believe they want to get started as quickly as they can work through the process,” he said.
As for the development generally, McCann said: “I’m happy that it appears we’re in the early stages of getting more single-family homes to our city, and it’s very much needed. … because we really haven’t grown our residential population for many years. The more population we have, the more people we have for our workforce, the more people we have to patronize our businesses, the more people we have customers for water and sewer, (and the more) taxpayers.”
One local realtor, Matt Joost of RE/MAX Realty, Inc. of Defiance agrees with the housing need.
“I would say it’s very good news,” he said. “Our area, like much of the rest of the United States, is under a housing shortage, not only for houses that are for sale, but even houses that are for rent.”
McCann previously had told The Crescent-News that the approximate cost for a home in the new development ($168,000), a figure that Joost believes is a “great price point” for Defiance housing.
“That’s definitely, in my opinion, affordable housing, especially when you’re talking about new construction as well,” he said.
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