ELLSWORTH — Another housing development in Ellsworth has been proposed, with the village rezoning property off of Alexander Avenue near Giana Court to kick off the process.

The proposal was originally for 13 twin homes but was altered to 26 single family homes over the same lot. A 54-unit apartment construction project from Gerrard Corp. is currently underway at the property neighboring the 26-home proposal to the west.

Gary Borglund presented on the potential development and his vision for the area at the March 24 Ellsworth Plan Commission. He said his idea for the development was to avoid the one-dimensional developments that have been popping up all over the area, building homes with different colors, altered roof lines and staggering their distances from the road. Borglund said the switch away from twin homes stems from people preferring to avoid sharing a wall with another family.

“Instead of twin homes that are attached, you create small, individual villas, two villas per lot,” Borglund said. “It’s the same number of units, and of course we have to go through engineering to make sure that the lot line usage and we’re not too close to the lot line and everything we need to do.”

Borglund said this decreases Homeowners Association fees by as much as $200 per month. Everyone who purchases a home would be provided snow removal and each home would receive an electric lawn mower to mow their lawns.

For an example of the villa layout, Borglund cited Hudson’s development at the old dog track. He said those villas run around $700,000 rather than the $320,000 target area for the presented development, but it will have some similarities. Multiple members of the commission were interested in the different looks the development could give.

The approval from the Plan Commission served as the first step of what can be a lengthy process to final approval. The commission strictly approved the rezoning of the property from agricultural to residential, which will now be forwarded to the Village Board. If approved, actual plans and designs would go through the board, reviews/assessments and any necessary committees.

There is still a lot to plan in terms of the project, including sidewalks and how to navigate having one exit on Alexander Avenue to serve the current residents, the Gerrard apartment residents and the proposed development.

Alexander Avenue resident Gwen Swanson shared feelings of agreement and disagreement with the development. Swanson cited associations and covenants as something that often fail in neighborhoods. Swanson also wants the village to ensure plenty of sidewalks in the neighborhood as well as completing a disconnected sidewalk on Giana.

“I do like the idea of it coming in,” Swanson said. “Different colors, different colored houses, different things, that’s great. Great idea, because I ain’t going to sit there, be retired and bored.”

Swanson also had concerns about the current apartment construction including sinkholes, trucks speeding through and large bits of rock in the road.

Mike Moening, who also lives near the development, said the safety of only having one exit should be a top priority. He said there will be many cars going through with two new developments, and in the event of an emergency, services will not make it through in a timely manner.