David Weekley Homes is coming to Newport, where a 73-home subdivision on the bluffs southeast of Bailey Road and Hastings Avenue won final city approval this spring.
In a news release dated Oct. 16, the Houston-based builder said it will "soon begin building" in the community, which it calls East Ridge Heights. City documents spell the name Eastridge Heights. Weekley said construction of its Lotus model home is expected to start in early November, with the model opening for sales in early 2027.
Weekley's floor plans will range from about 2,155 to 4,422 square feet on 65- and 70-foot homesites, and some homesites and plans will offer four-car garages. The release points to bluff views, access to Interstate 494 and U.S. 10, and South Washington County Schools, including East Ridge High School. It does not give prices.
What the city approved
The developer is Summergate Development, according to Newport city staff memos. The city's development page lists the project as a 73-home subdivision on a 46-acre site. The staff memo for the May 21 City Council meeting gives a different figure: a gross site of 58.75 acres made up of 10 parcels with three owners. After right-of-way, a bluff conservation easement and an overhead power line easement, the memo puts the net buildable area at about 29.2 acres, for a density of 2.5 homes per acre. Three existing houses on the land will be removed.
The Planning Commission held a public hearing Feb. 10 and reopened it March 10, when it voted unanimously to recommend approval. The City Council approved the preliminary plat, planned unit development, comprehensive plan amendment and rezoning March 19. The Metropolitan Council administratively approved the comprehensive plan change May 6, and the council approved the final plat and PUD May 21.
According to the March staff memo, 42 lots are 65 feet wide and 31 are 70 feet wide, which matches the homesite widths in Weekley's release. Lots range from 8,450 to 46,946 square feet. Under the PUD, front setbacks are 25 feet, rear setbacks are 25 feet and side setbacks are 5 feet, compared with the standard R-1 zoning requirements of 30, 35 and 10 feet.
Bluff, trees and access
The site is in the city's Bluffland Area Overlay District. The May memo says the plans meet the city's 30-foot minimum bluff buffer but not the South Washington Watershed District's 60-foot standard. The watershed district accepted a smaller buffer with added protections through the PUD. Staff called for a bluff protection or restoration plan, signs marking the protected area, and added tree plantings between the top of the bluff and the residential lots.
The tree count is large. The memo says about 54% of the non-exempt tree caliper inches on the forested site will be removed, which requires 3,802 caliper inches, or 1,521 trees, to be replaced. The developer proposed planting 455 caliper inches on site. Staff recommended a fee of $150 per caliper inch for the rest.
One through street will connect Sterling Avenue and Hastings Avenue, with three cul-de-sacs. Because of steep grades, three lots will share a private driveway. Engineering conditions include archaeological review and oversight at a cemetery property, a stormwater maintenance plan, and structural-engineer-certified plans for any retaining wall over 4 feet tall. Every home must have at least two enclosed parking spaces.
Why it matters for Contractors
Work on the Lotus model is expected to start within weeks. Weekley buys its own trades, so framing, concrete, roofing, mechanical and finish subcontractors in the east metro will need to qualify through the builder's Minneapolis division to work on Eastridge Heights homes. Weekley's release does not say how many of the 73 lots it will build on.
The city's conditions affect almost every trade. Before any building permit is issued, the developer must provide a document spelling out the required bluff setbacks and conservation easement areas, so builders and their trades will be working to those limits on lots near the bluff. Excavation and grading crews will work near protected bluff areas and a cemetery property that requires archaeological oversight. Retaining walls over 4 feet tall need engineered plans.
There is landscape and tree work, too. The memo says the plan calls for 357 trees under the city's landscaping rules, with 345 proposed so far. That is on top of replacement trees, and landscape plantings carry a two-year warranty after acceptance. Weekley's larger plans, up to 4,422 square feet with four-car garage options, also mean more foundation, framing and finish work per house.