By Pat Culverhouse
A little more than two years ago, Sibley Mayor Jimmy Williams drove past a “For Sale” sign on a parcel of property on the northern limits of his town and recognized a potential. Very soon, the vision of Williams and Sibley’s town council members will begin to take shape.
“We’re getting quotes and we’re hoping dirt work on street layouts and drainage at Lane Meadows subdivision will begin in the next couple of weeks,” Williams said. “I met this morning (Tuesday) with representatives from CenterPoint Energy…they’re studying how to put in utilities.”
Phase one of Lane Meadows calls for the development of 21 lots, ranging in size from one-fourth to one-third an acre, on a total of just over eight acres of land. All the property belongs to the town of Sibley, and Williams said that makes the project unique.
“I don’t know of another subdivision development that’s owned by a city or town, but the council and I saw this as an opportunity to get people to move to Sibley,” he said. “We’re not doing this to make money. We’ve not established a selling price for the lots, but it will be less than half of what lots are going for in Haughton.”
Williams said he plans to have a “Lots For Sale” sign in place by the end of next week. He has already been contacted by developers who have expressed an interest in the project.
“Just this morning I had an investor call who wanted to purchase all 21 lots,” he said. “We’re not going to do that, but it does show how much interest there already is.”
Williams said there are no restrictions on the size or price range of homes that will be built. But, he said, there will be covenants stringent enough to ensure a quality development.
Additional acreage adjoining what will become Lane Meadows is available and Williams said phase one will be followed with a second phase that could develop around 50 lots. “We’ll have to wait and see, but there’s a possibility of even more development,” he said.
Williams said the development is an opportunity not only for the town of Sibley but also for those who decide to build their homes there.
“Homeowners want to live where there are good educational opportunities and we have that in Sibley. They want low crime; we have that in Sibley because our police department is improving daily. They want fire protection. Our fire department has some of the best equipment and I will put our volunteer department up against any other in the nation,” Williams said.
Homeowners also want affordable energy bills and Williams said a decision the town council will make at its next meeting should make that another positive feature of living in Sibley. The town’s 25-year contract with current provider Entergy expires this month and council members will vote January 8 on who will supply electrical power.
Lane Meadows could be more than just an inducement for new Sibley residents, Williams said.
“We believe that when more people move to Sibley businesses will follow,” he said. “Business goes where the people are, and I think we’ll see some new ones coming here.”