DELAWARE — Housing, housing and more housing: There are a lot of new homes in the city of Delaware’s pipeline, and Wednesday’s planning commission meeting pushed a few projects closer to construction.
In total, the commission approved plans that would add 163 new homes across two developments, while also advancing a zoning change for another 175-acre neighborhood.
Price Farms 2
The commission approved a zoning map amendment for the Price Farms 2 development, which added 175 acres to the existing zone. The land was previously part of Troy Township and the city is currently processing it through annexation.
Three types of homes will eventually be available at the site once the annexation process and final development plans are complete: single-family homes with first-floor living, starter homes and homes designed for buyers ready to move up from their first house.
The developers are also setting aside 52 acres for the potential new Delaware High School, identified as Subarea G in the map below.
However, two long-time Hills Miller Road residents spoke up during the public hearing portion of the zoning amendment request, sharing their misgivings about how much their area of Delaware is changing.
“I hate that this is happening to our community,” Elizabeth Moore said. “There is not one of the people on our string of homes that is happy with this, not one.
“I know change happens — I see it down the other way on Hills Miller, I see it across from where the apartments are being built on Troy Road — I know it’s right there, and I know it’s coming. This is just not what we wanted at this point in our lives.”
Moore said her concern is not that existing homes would be removed, but that the development would permanently change the rural character of the area.
Troy Township trustees also recently expressed some issues with the land’s annexation during a June 5 County Commissioners meeting. However, the commissioners did not find any issues with the annexation agreement.
Even with those concerns, the planning commission voted to send the zoning amendment request to city council, which will make the final decision after the annexation process is complete.
Boulder Farms Sections 1 and 2
The Pulte Group previously received city approval in 2022 for a 138-acre mixed-use development with residential and commercial uses near State Route 36 and South Section Line Road.
The city granted a two-year extension in 2023, but that extension expired in late 2025. Pulte is now reapplying in phases, beginning with two sections in the southeast corner of the site.
On Wednesday, the planning commission approved a development plan for those sections, which would include 83 single-family homes on about 35 acres.
If fully built out, the entire development could include up to 620 homes across about 128 acres, along with about 10 acres of commercial development and 46 acres of open space, according to city documents.
The housing would include 222 single-family lots and up to 398 multi-family units in designated areas of the site.
The plan will now go before city council for further approval.
Terra Alta prepares for its 14th housing section
It might be hard to believe, but the Terra Alta housing development has been growing since 2005.
The Rockford Homes and Romanelli & Hughes community is approaching 869 total units after the commission approved a development plan for its 14th and final section.
The latest section sits on about 13 acres and will bring 80 new fee-simple townhome units, with each building containing between four and six units.
Developers received a rezoning amendment, a conditional use permit, an amended preliminary development plan and an amended preliminary subdivision plat approval from the commission and council in 2020, according to city documents.
With these approvals, the former Stockdale Farms development combined with Terra Alta, bringing the entire development to a whopping 472.9-acre footprint.
“Before we move forward, I want to try and squeeze in five more units,” Jim Ohlin from Romanelli & Hughes joked during the meeting.
