Builder plans 60-home development in Ligonier

By Kayla Brennan | KPC Media - The News Sun

LIGONIER — The housing that Ligonier officials have been hoping for is finally a reality.

Last week, Granite Ridge Builders closed on a deal in Ligonier that will allow them to build approximately 60 homes on 24 acres of land. Because of a change in the zoning ordinance last year, the builders are allowed to build three houses on an acre. The homes will begin to be built in approximately six to eight months.

The acreage is adjoining the Park Meadow addition to the west across from Kenney Park on Union Street.

According to Lonnie Norris, vice president of sales at Granite Ridge Builders, a few different types of homes will be built in this new neighborhood.

“There will be a variety of homes as far as styles,” Norris said. “There will be ranches, story-and-a-half and two-story houses. The price range will probably be in the $180,000s to the mid-$200,000s.”

Norris said these houses will be a great fit for first-time buyers, for families who want to buy a larger home than what they are currently in and perhaps even for retirees who are looking to get out a two-story home and into a ranch.

The median household income in Ligonier is about $51,000 per year, according to the U.S. Census Bureau.

These houses can be appealing to first-time home buyers because Granite Ridge Builders is willing to work with them so people can get the house they want.

“One of the things that they will be eligible for is special financing that will help that first-time home buyer to get in with little cash outlay and an affordable monthly payment,” Norris said. “The low- to moderate-income family can purchase a home with an affordable monthly payment.”

The water and sewer lines needed adjusted in the plans, and Norris said this is something his team is working on. Each home will offer city water, city sewer and natural gas.

According to Norris, there are a number of people who want to live in Ligonier.

“There has been a lot of interest,” Norris said. “There are a lot of people who live in that area that have good jobs at this point in time, so we are trying to meet a need there.”

Not only will these home be brand new, but they will also be energy efficient and the buyers can build their home custom to their needs.

“We are real big on energy efficiency,” Norris said. “These homes will be as efficient as about anything out there as far as that goes. We’re going to give the buyers a lot of options. They will be able to pick their floor plan or change their floor plan. It won’t be a track home. It will be a custom home.”

In the near future, a model home and a few other homes will be built so buyers can know what to expect from a home they would purchase.

“We’re full steam ahead, and hopefully is about six or eight months we will be building some houses,” Norris said.

Mayor Patty Fisel could not be happier with this news.

“We have worked and worked to try to figure out how we can get housing with all the jobs that we have available,” Fisel said. “We couldn’t offer people a place to live.”

She feels that Granite Ridge Builders will provide what people are looking for in a home.

“We’re just very excited because of the fact that there is such a need for housing,” Fisel said. “In order for Ligonier to grow, we are going to have to have the new homes. We’re going to have to be able to offer people a place to live.”

Fisel stated that she spoke with the industries in Ligonier, and they prefer their employees to live as close to work as possible. She said that it’s been proven that people who live closer to work attend more regularly and are more likely to become long-term employees.

The new homes will be custom built and she also stated that the safety of the employee is more intact when they live closer to work because they are less likely to get in car accidents.

“There is tremendous advantage to have employees live closer to where they work,” Fisel said.