The City Council has approved 527 new houses in east Modesto, far more than have been built citywide in recent years.
The prices will start at nearly $500,000, beyond the means of most Modesto residents. But supporters said many of the homes will be bought by people now living in apartments, freeing up the rentals for other residents.
The project, dubbed the Crossings, is near the northeast corner of Briggsmore Avenue and Claus Road. The 84-acre site is now mostly almond trees, bounded on the east by the Amtrak station.
“This is a great project,” Councilman David Wright said just before the 7-0 vote Tuesday. “We just need more of them here in the city of Modesto.”
The application came from D.R. Horton, the nation’s largest home builder, based in Arlington, Texas. The first units could be ready by late this year, said Adam Foster, entitlements manager in the company’s San Ramon branch office. A timeline for build-out of all five phases was not available as of Thursday.
The lowest-priced homes will be “in the high $400,000 range,” Horton advance planner Avery Jones said. The company has not announced the upper limit.