A subdivision of tiny, cottage-style homes just outside Arnold is a go now that the Jefferson County Council approved the developers’ plans.
The 22 homes, ranging from 400-800 square feet, will be built on approximately 2.7 acres on Scenic View Court off Miller Road south of Vogel Road near Adayah Lane. The development will be called Scenic View Cottage Community.
The council voted 6-1 April 17 to approve Justin and Joanna Bondurant’s development plan and request to rezone the property from single-family residential to planned mixed residential. Councilman Charles Groeteke (District 4, Barnhart) voted against the proposal.
Justin Bondurant owns JMB Performance & Powdercoat, a custom-fabricated auto parts company in Hillsboro. His daughter, Joanna Bondurant, 19, manages The Wandering Bean, a Hillsboro coffee shop.
Justin said he and his daughter plan to begin cleaning up the property, which was once a mobile home park with 17 homes, within the next month. They intend to start building the new homes by the end of the year and begin moving in residents in a year and a half.
The one-bedroom, tiny homes will be rented for approximately $900 to $1,000 a month, and the larger two-bedroom homes would be rented for $1,100 to $1,200, Bondurant said.
The property falls within District 3, which Councilwoman Lori Arons represents.
She said tiny homes are an example of a forward-thinking development.
“I drove by where this is going to be the other day, and I really believe this will be a good thing for District 3,” Arons said. “I’m looking forward to it, and I’d like to see more developments like this in the future.”
Groeteke said he had reservations.
Councilman Tim Brown (District 6, De Soto) had proposed an amendment at the March 24 meeting for the Bondurants’ application, allowing them to choose whether to have an on-site manager at Scenic View, rather than requiring it. The amendment, which also mandated that leases be at least 12 months long, was approved.
Groeteke said he would have liked to see the on-site manager stipulation stay since that was a recommendation from the county Planning and Zoning staff.
“I thought that was something that had some validity, so it should have continued,” he said. “My experiences in life are that you have to have somebody around to keep an eye on things, or things can go bad.”
Justin said the tiny homes would be stick-built on concrete pads – not transported to the property in kits, which was one of the fears people said they had when he and his wife posted information about the development on social media before the meeting.
He said the homes would be suitable for older residents who are looking for a simpler lifestyle.
Councilman Billy Crow (District 2, Arnold) agreed.
“This is a great little project, and I think it’s got great potential for more projects like this that will help senior citizens,” he said.