CIRCLEVILLE, Ohio – July 25, 2025
Bulldozers rolled onto a long‑vacant tract off Walnut Creek Pike this week as developers officially broke ground on, a mixed‑housing project that will bring 289 new homes and apartments to the city’s north side.
Crews have started the first phase of work: extending Atwater Avenue eastward to link the existing Heritage Ponds neighborhood with Morris Road. The new connector will also indirectly tie into Walnut Creek Pike, improving traffic flow between Georgia Road, Morris Road, and future links to Sycamore Drive.
City Council approved the 59‑acre concept earlier this year. The master plan includes:
- 155 single‑family home lots
- Six garden‑style buildings totaling 252 multi‑family units (mix of one‑, two‑, and three‑bedroom apartments to be finalized)
- Two spring‑fed ponds with perimeter walking trails
- Tree‑lined streets and a landscaped buffer along Walnut Creek Pike
Developers say roadway work will continue through the fall, followed by installation of water, sewer, and electric infrastructure. Vertical construction on the first homes is slated to begin early next year, with model houses opening by late spring 2026.
“This connection between Atwater and Morris has been on the city’s transportation map for years,” said Circleville Service Director Jim Stanley. “Today’s groundbreaking moves that long‑term vision forward while adding much‑needed housing options for families and young professionals.”
According to the city the development will also address two issues that will not cost the city taxpayers to fix. One will be the extention road of Atwater connecting the Heritage Ponds development to the city, and creating holding ponds to handle extra floodwaters that have plagued the area in the past years.
The project is expected to be built in three stages over the next 4–5 years. City planners note that future phases could extend local streets farther east toward Sycamore Drive, creating a grid that disperses traffic and adds new walking and cycling routes around the ponds.
The single family homes are projected to sell in the low 300’s ($310,000 to $340,000) and the apartments are projected to rent from $1,200 to $1,600 per month. All of these housing units are market-based — they are not government subsidized or intended as low-income housing. The single family homes are planned to be two car garage style with two stories and possible basements.
The economic benefit of the Alto PUD at full build-out, this plan will generate over $15 million every year in economic development.
