PHOTOS: New Condo Development Planned for Sussex

Sussex may soon get development in the empty plot of land just south of the Brandon Oaks subdivision.

Developer Jim Forester wants to build two-family homes on the 33 acres of empty property off Maple Avenue near . The conceptual review by Sussex is the first step in a long series of meetings Forester will need to attend to get the development approved.

“There’s a need for people who want to move out of their existing single-family home and move into a duplex, not into a condo,” Forester said. “People want windows on three sides of their house and want to stay in the geographical area. There really isn’t that many options around here.”

“There’s a need for people who want to move out of their existing single-family home and move into a duplex, not into a condo.”

Forester currently has four designs for the multifamily homes, saying each one will differ somewhat in style and color. However, while Sussex officials are happy with the development idea, some worry that only have four styles would be too repetitive.

The plot of land was once owned by Bielinski Homes, the developer responsible for the Brandon Oaks subdivision. Before going through “financial issues,” Bielinski had plans to build similar homes on the land using five different stock models, a number the village was more comfortable with.

Members of the Sussex Plan Commission recently directed Forester to come up with at least one additional model to “break it up,” and they directed Sussex staff members to move forward with the project.  

Each side of the two-family homes will be somewhere between 1,400 and 1,800 square feet and start at roughly $200,000. All of the units will have basements, and there won’t be a common area like a clubhouse with a pool. Forester also said one of his top priorities is to preserve as many existing trees as possible to make the development feel like it’s been there a while.