MBI Construction in Stroudsburg plans to seek final approval sometime in the spring for its Hamlet Estates Pocono housing development in Polk Township.

Christopher Brown, the attorney for the developer, said the goal is to break ground in the summer.

“The goal would be this year to have a few houses up,” Brown said. “They’re going to be lovely homes.”

Michael Hurley, vice chairman of the supervisors, said MBI was given preliminary approval for the development on Oct. 28, 2024.

“The ‘For Sale’ sign was there for a long time,” Hurley said. “It’s a nice piece of land, fairly flat.”

The property consists of 12 acres at the corner of H.T.Y. Road and Polk Township Road across from the Cornerstone Community Church. MBI has plans to build 11 single-family houses on lots of about one-acre each.

Hurley said the land is zoned R-2, which allows for residential properties on one-acre lots for houses. The township also has R-1 and R-3 zoning districts, which also allow for one-acre residential lots. The township’s rural residential zoning or RR is for properties of two-acres or more and farmland.

“It’s always been R-2,” Hurley said about the land for the Hamlet Estates Pocono development.

The plan met the zoning requirements, so there wasn’t any need for any zoning hearing, Hurley said. As for a traffic study, that is usually only done for issues such as a proposed change to the speed limit.

“There wasn’t enough to warrant a traffic study,” Hurley said.

Attorney Christopher Brown said the main entrance to the development will be from Polk Township Road. Two of the houses may have access to H.T.Y. Road.

“Their ordinances require us to direct the flow of traffic onto Polk Township Road. The outlet goes toward the schools,” Brown said.

As for other concerns such as noise, Hurley said the township has a noise ordinance that all residents and businesses must follow. The residents in this development would also follow the ordinance. During the construction process of the development, there is some leeway for the special circumstance of a construction site.

Regarding septic, Brown said MBI has done a preliminary test to perk the land for septic systems.

“They had to do preliminary testing to make sure this was viable,” he said. As each lot is sold, it will be tested again for a septic system.

Brown said that MBI plans to be part of the development process from the infrastructure to building the houses. They are not just doing the infrastructure and selling the lots.

“They have extensive building experience,” Brown said.

Buyers will have different house styles and floor plans to select from, he said. MBI is in it until the development is completed.