Plan proposed for 300 new homes in New Carlisle

Land would be annexed from Miami County for the development

Plans for a nearly 300-home development in the city of New Carlisle that calls for land to be annexed from Miami County has caused a brouhaha among some residents.

Opponents in Clark and Miami counties say the additional housing will lead to a population increase, which will stretch resources and the like. But city officials say the proposal is in its “very early stage,” and there’s no builder yet.

“This is a conceptual plan,” New Carlisle City Manager Randy Bridge said Tuesday. “It can change. It hasn’t gone through any planning processes yet. We only have what the developer presented to us.”

DDC Management proposed the development, which will be a multi-phase and multi-year project, Bridge said. If approved, the new community would be at the corner of New Carlisle and Scarff roads, which is at the edge of Miami County and adjacent to the Clark County border.

They’re looking to build on a 115-acre tract of land that will have 293 homes starting at about $250,000. All of the land would be annexed from Miami County, according to the proposal.

DDC Management has contacted the Miami County Engineer’s office to inquire about the possibility of annexing land for the project, Miami County Administrator Charlotte Colley said. However, an annexation proposal has not made its way to the Miami County commission as of Tuesday, she added.

Residents in both Clark and Miami counties took to social media this week to express their concerns about the proposed project.

Jason Layton, who lives on New Carlisle Road near the proposed housing site, said he’s concerned that additional housing will bring additional traffic and lead to an influx of students in the Bethel Local School District. He has two children in the district.

“This will be a substantial number of students added to either Bethel or Tecumseh,” Layton told the News-Sun on Tuesday. “Also, the addition of cars this will add to our streets will be substantial.”