There are four types of housing that may be built if the development moves forward. Preliminary plans call for the construction of up to 116 single-family homes, up to 91 patio-style homes, 114 townhome units and 192 apartment units that would be situated near Lippencott Lane and Dugan Road.
Land for the proposed development has not yet been purchased, and the project is in the early stages of the application process with the City of Urbana.
The developer behind the proposal is Highland Real Estate, which is based in Columbus.
Doug Crabill, the Community Development Manager for the City of Urbana, said that the number of units is subject to change and that the proposed project is in its early stages.
Highland did not respond to a request for comment and it is unclear when construction could begin or how much money would be invested in the proposed development.
Crabill said that if everything moves forward smoothly, it would be at least next year at the earliest that construction would begin.
However, the project could take multiple years to complete as preliminary plans show four sub areas within the development, including one for each housing product type.
How the project would be phased out and what order each sub area would be built has not been determined.
More fleshed out plans would have to be approved by the city’s planning commission and the city council before construction could began.
Highland has been in talks with the city since the spring of 2021 and submitted a preliminary development plan, essentially a first draft of what the project would entail, to the city in the beginning of this year.
Recent analysis of housing in Urbana and Champaign County has shown a large amount of aging housing stock, and the last major housing development in the city wrapped in the early 2000s.
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