Lakefront condos planned for S.R. 703 property

CELINA - RCS Construction aims to develop a new condo project with 33 housing units, green space, a swimming pool and a lakeside beach on a vacant plot of land off State Route 703 between Lakeside Drive and Mariner Point Drive.

The Celina Planning Commission on Thursday evening unanimously approved RCS Construction's site plan review for what is tentatively being dubbed Beach Club, documents shared at the meeting show.

The way James Edmonds, RCS Construction's vice president of business development, presented the project to commissioners, Beach Club will be a spiritual successor to the flourishing Boardwalk Village on West Bank Road.

"This will be real similar to what we did at Boardwalk, obviously not the commercial aspect," Edmonds said. "These will be single-family freestanding cottages, for the most part. A few doubles (duplexes) in here, but very similar structure with cottages around a green space with a pool overlooking the lake."

A fully-developed beach along the southern side of the parcel will be a central feature of the project, according to Edmonds.

Preliminary plans call for 33 units, including four duplexes and four Type R units.

"What that'll end up being is effectively a garage with a unit over it, so it probably will be sold to the unit next door," Edmonds said of the Type R units. "It could be sold freestanding or to the unit next door. That's how we plan to do it."

Edmonds reiterated that the development will have a similar feel to Boardwalk Village, a walkable vacation rental community with cottages and townhouses, swimming pools and hot tubs, a marketplace and several other amenities.

"We'll probably have some Airbnb-style units out here like we're doing out there (Boardwalk Village)," he said. "As the city knows, we have management rules and we keep things pretty tight there."

Asked if the housing units would boast the same vibrant colors of those at Boardwalk Village, Edmonds said such considerations are still under discussion.

"We don't want to mirror 100% what we did over there," he said. "We want to give it kind of its own character. Traditional architecture … it'll just be a matter of what type, whether it's arts and crafts or something similar."

Company officials at this time plan to subdivide lots with no road frontage.

"And the reason behind that is we wanted to be a homeowner association in lieu of being a condo association, really for cost purposes," Edmonds explained. "A HOA is much, much less expensive and easier to put together, and it's really, in our opinion, better for the developer and for the homeowner."

Edmonds said company officials are still working on renderings.

"We would be looking at potentially fall of next year or spring the following year," he said about the project's timeline. "We'd like to get Boardwalk Village finished out. We've got three or four more units after this final phase."

Commissioner Barbara Vorhees said she's surprised so much is planned for the site.

"I just can't imagine to place all that on that from … (State) Route 703 to the lake," she said. "It just looks so narrow to me."

"It all fits," Edmonds assured Vorhees. "We felt the same way about Boardwalk."

City engineer Vince Barnhart said all city department heads went over the site plans intensively and do not have any issues.

"This is a great design. I'm glad to see you moving ahead with this," said Celina Mayor Jeff Hazel, who is also a commissioner. "I think this is another great addition for Celina. It will attract people."