JANESVILLE -- A new development would increase the size of Janesville by almost a third, bringing in more families and a larger tax base for the town, according to the developer.

Jim Sands is anticipating no hurdles and little controversy at the Janesville City Council meeting tonight, where his plat is facing a final vote before he can begin getting permits to build homes and roads.

The 82-lot development is slated to be on the southeast side of town, just west of U.S. Highway 218 and north of the railroad tracks. Nineteen of the lots are for twin homes, or condominiums, Sands said.

"I went to school up there, and nothing's changed in 30 years," he said. "This is going to add families to the school."

The development lies within a Tax Increment Financing district, a feature Sands about only after he decided to pursue the project. Incentives from TIF would help pay Sands for installing streets and other infrastructure to the new development.

Details of the TIF arrangement were not available, as the Janesville city attorney could not be reached.

Sands said his phone has been "ringing off the hook" about people interested in purchasing homes in the development. Sands anticipates the first homes will sell for about $170,000 and be about 1,400 square feet.

He likens them to the homes built behind North Cedar School in Cedar Falls, and won't allow manufactured housing.

"I want it to be an upscale project," he said.

Sands also plans on constructing many of the homes himself and expects to make himself the exclusive concrete contractor. Sands expects the entire development could be constructed in five years.

The development will connect two sides of town by extending Pine Street from 275th Street to Seventh Street.

Adding single-family homes is likely to bring families in from the metro area, who may prefer the quiet of a small town with the amenities of Waterloo and Cedar Falls just minutes away, Sands speculated.

He also expected it would significantly affect Janesville's enrollment, especially since the school district recently broke ground on a $1.8 million expansion and enhancement project. School officials could not be reached for comment.

Sands lives north of Cedar Falls. He previously built housing developments in Cedar Falls and Elk Run Heights.

Contact Amie Steffen at (319) 291-1405 or amie.steffen@wcfcourier.com.