Ground broken on 212-home Mason development

Developers have broken ground on Crooked Tree Preserve, a 168-acre housing development in Mason.

The development will include 212 luxury and estate homes, many of which will be custom built. Prices range from the mid $500,000 to more than $1 million.

The development will also include more than 50 acres of natural preserve along with 1.3 miles of paved walking trails that will wind through the property.

“Our goal is to create a community unlike any other in the Mason area,” said Mark Schnicke, one of the developers of Crooked Tree Preserve, in a news release. “When you walk along the hiking trails and cross the bridges over the creek it’s easy to forget you’re still in the city.”

The development is being co-developed by C.T. Devco and The Schnicke Co. Eight companies have signed on to build homes at Crooked Tree Preserve including Schnicke, Zicka Homes, Daniels Homes, Walker Homes, Pendragon Homes, J&K Custom Homes, Drees Homes and Fischer Homes.

Construction on the homes is expected to begin this Fall, developers said.

Over the course of last year, the development, which used to be the site of the Crooked Tree Golf Course, has been the concentration of much controversy.

After plans were revealed in April 2014, more than 200 residents packed a planning commission meeting to express concerns about the development. Residents were worried that the density of homes would be troublesome. They also were concerned about property values, traffic, safety and water runoff into the Little Muddy Creek.

In September 2014, the City Council rejected a rezoning request from the land’s owners that would have paved the way for the development. Questions arose about whether or not a Mason councilman, whose wife has been a vocal critic of the development, should have voted on the matter.

Then, in February of this year, the land owners tried again and the Mason City Council voted 6-1 to approve the developer’s request to rezone the site.

And in March, the council voted 4-0 to approve the preliminary plan for the community.

"I know we won't please everybody," Mason Mayor David Nichols said at the time.