A view of life and commercial real estate from Newark and Licking County, Ohio
.............may remember a series of posts about the Hopeful Birth of a Subdivision. We started the process of developing 113 single-family residential building lots in 2021. We are 97% finished with our part of the development. Our home builder partner, D. R. Horton, is about 60% finished with their portion of the project. Drone photography is pretty cool. This is what progress looked like this hazy afternoon:
 |
| The whole development |
 |
| Phase 1 95% built out |
 |
| Phase 2 is now really getting started |
.........of a subdivision: Episode 27: Progress Report
From time to time one should check one's work. We started this project in early Spring of 2021 when we purchased, annexed, re-zoned, and planned out a 55 acre tract of land in the north end of Newark, Ohio.
Development work, bulldozers dozing, actually started on the first phase of Conor's Pass (49 building lots) at the end of the first week of August in 2021. Thanks to the dedication (read: a lot of overtime) of the nice people at Layton, Inc., the construction of the infrastructure (water lines, sanitary sewer lines, storm water lines an outlets, curbs, gutters and paving) was completed in the second week of November, 2021. The weather man also helped, the weather last summer and fall was perfect for building roads. We recorded the final plat (which actually creates the individual lots according to the County Auditor) in early December, 2021. D. R. Horton, the home builder who is buying all of the individual lots, purchased their first thirty lots just in time for those sales proceeds to be included as income on our 2021 federal tax return,
Sometime in late spring of 2022, construction of the second phase of Conor's Pass (64 building lots) started. All the pipe is now underground and the concrete curbs and gutters are poured. Weather permitting (spoiler alert: weather people are calling for rain) the asphalt paving will start late this week. Hopefully, Horton will be buying more lots in 2022.
Feels like we have made pretty good progress.
 |
| The subject land in 2020 |
 |
| As of 9/1/22: At the top, 44 houses coming out of the ground in Phase 1. At the bottom, part of Phase 2 with the curbs and gutters in. |
 |
| Phase 2 of Conor's Pass awaiting asphalt paving |
.........................of a sub-division:
Episode 25: Phase Two water line installation.
 |
| The blue pipe is the water main. All that pipe will be in the ground today, we hope. |
 |
| One pipe at a time |
 |
| Making a solid, leak-proof connection between pipes |
 |
| Beginning the tap for the service lateral |
 |
| Unrolling the 3/4" copper water service line |
 |
| setting the shut-off valve |
 |
| One water lateral installed. Next...... |
 |
| Phase One from a distance. Houses sprouting everywhere |
 |
| All this since February |
 |
| Your basic new house. Awaiting the drywallers |
 |
| "Sold". My favorite sign |
....................of a sub-division: Episode 24
Oops....... Not every day is perfect and works exactly the way you want it to. While preparing to install the laterals from the main sanitary sewer line to the individual building lots, we broke the main line. The system just won't work with a broken main. Repairs are in order—now completed.
................of a subdivision: Episode 23:
We have had a rainy spring. Hard to put pipe in the ground when it is soaking wet. Having said that, progress is being made. The sanitary sewer main lines have been installed and we are about halfway through the installation of the storm sewer system. Nothing wrong here that a few dry weeks won't cure.
 |
| Preparing the ground for a storm structure |
 |
| Work completed about an hour ago |
 |
| Lifting the storm structure |
 |
| Attention to detail: cleaning mud off the bottom of the structure |
 |
| Put it right about there |
 |
| Right where it belongs |
 |
| D. R. Horton building out the 49 first phase lots |
...................of a subdivision: Episode 22
Faithful readers will recall that we completed developed the 49 lots in Phase 1 of Conor's Pass sub-division late last fall. This past April we sold all of the lots to D. R. Horton, who is busily constructing houses on those lots. Horton asked us to start the 64 lot Phase 2 as soon as possible. While the weather could have been more cooperative, we are making progress. In a perfect world, we will be done laying the sanitary sewer mains next week.
 |
| The top of the photo shows the houses coming out of the ground in Phase 1. Phase 2 work is at the bottom of the photo |
..............of a sub-division: Episode 21
Having sold all 49 of the lots in Phase 1 of Conor's Pass sub-division, we responded by beginning the 64 lot Phase 2. The weather has been iffy and wet, but it's April in Ohio, expecting anything different would be silly. Still progress is being made:
 |
| Topsoil stripped and building pads being created |
 |
| Different soil types needed in different places |
 |
| A borrow pit, source of compactible soil |
 |
| this non-compactible topsoil will fill the borrow pit |
 |
| Next step is to connect to the main sanitary sewer trunk line |
 |
| The sewer trunk line is near the Licking River. Need to lose the water before we can connect. |
 |
| Getting there |
 |
| No supply chain issues for the sewer structures this year |
...............of a sub-division: Episode 20
Our production builder, D. R. Horton, continues to make great progress in increasing housing availability in Newark and Licking County. These houses hit the market last week. Sources say that three are already sold.
..................birth of a sub-division: Episode 19
At the top of the aerial photo is Phase 1. Completed in early December, the builder (D. R. Horton) recently completed the purchase of all 49 developed lots. If you squint your eyes, you may notice they have about 15 houses under construction. The bottom portion of the aerial photo shows the early days of the 64 lots in Phase 2. Progress.
..................of a sub-division: Episode 18:
The market may be broken, but we are doing our part to mend it.
Thirty fully developed building lots sold to D. R. Horton, a production builder. They are scheduled to buy 19 more next week. Footers have been poured on about 15 lots, slabs poured on nine lots, framing of houses started on two lots. In a perfect world, which you all know we live in, there will be thirty new houses, with new homeowners, in this sub-division by early summer.
 |
| Footers poured |
 |
| slab poured |
 |
| framing started |
Posts
