Henderson County Homes added to large subdivision

One of the biggest subdivisions ever planned in Henderson County got a little bigger Thursday night.River Stone, now being built between Butler Bridge and North Rugby roads, won county approval last year as a "planned unit development" of 524 homes on 176 acres. Under changes the Board of Commissioners approved Thursday, River Stone will have 538 homes. The developers got the go-ahead to buy 3.86 additional acres where they plan to build the 14 additional homes.Even before Thursday night's action, River Stone was the second largest subdivision ever approved in Henderson County. The only one bigger is Carriage Park, with 695 homes, county planner Matt Card said.River Stone is part of a Henderson County development boom that saw a record 2,647 subdivision lots approved last year.The project's homes will be clustered on 132 acres, leaving 47 acres of open space, said Drew Norwood, president of Windsor-Aughtry Co., which is building River Stone.Homes in the development will range from $145,000 for a 1,500-square-foot, three bedroom, two bath home to $250,000 for ones up to 3,000 square feet. Originally planned with 250 "starter" homes geared toward young families, the project now plans 176 in that category, Norwood said. The number of homes geared toward retirees has been increased from 125 to 225, with the balance planned as larger "first move up" homes.The new homes will be of the larger type. They will be located in the north portion of the land, once part of a dairy, near the eastern one of two entrances off Butler Bridge Road. With large subdivisions popping up across the county, commissioners recently appointed an "alternative revenue task force" to explore ways to raise revenues for new schools other than the property tax. Windsor-Aughtry voluntarily agreed to contribute $250 to Henderson County Public Schools for each home sold in River Stone.