NATCHEZ — Now that the full 14 acres across from Winchester Road and ending at Ashburn Street have been rezoned for mixed-density housing, local housing developer Jody Foster said he’s ready to break some ground.

And although no formal plans have been approved yet for what Foster’s development is going to look like, he said he has a solid vision in the works.

“Right now, we have a portfolio that kind of captures several different styles,” Foster said of the aesthetics of the approximately 66 patio homes and townhomes he plans to construct. “The goal is to build something timeless.”

Foster said residents can expect to begin seeing construction sometime in November.

Before houses go up, though, Foster said he is going to begin laying the groundwork for the development’s infrastructure.

Right now, Foster said he is installing a silt fence, which is a temporary fence that is permeable to water, but captures small chunks of sediment.

“When you disturb the soil, you have to put in a retention pond to catch the silt,” he said. “This is all in an effort to control dispersing silt into the water system.”

Currently, Foster’s development boasts nothing but leveled land where trees used to stand.

Foster said this time next year, that won’t be the case.

“We were fortunate to get the next 7 acres approved because the demand for these homes has been so high,” said Foster, referring to the Natchez Board of Aldermen’s recent vote to rezone the property. “I would say that more than half of the lots are sold, or people are wanting to review plans.”

Foster said he has considered how his development would fit in with surrounding homes — namely those located on Winchester Road, Ashburn Street and the historic Routhland property located next to the development.

Foster said he doesn’t plan for his development to reflect any kind of antebellum style or bungalow motif, but the community, he said, will contribute a positive aesthetic to the area.

“I’m trying to do something that is timeless rather than period driven,” he said.

While working on the development Friday, Foster said right now a number of different style homes are in the area, including ranch-style houses, French-Acadian houses and the antebellum Routhland property.

“New neighborhoods are kind of a new idea for Natchez,” Foster said. “I think a lot of people have jumped to negative assumptions about it. When it’s all completed, I think people will see that it’s going to be a good thing.”

Natchez Mayor Butch Brown seems to agree with Foster, and said he was pleased with the way the board voted Tuesday.

“I’m glad to see growth and expansion in our community,” Brown said. “It improves the tax base.”

Brown said he would make sure Foster follows through with some of the promises he made in his construction agreement — like maintaining a 20-foot buffer between his property and the Routhland property.

Foster said he would begin looking at what vegetation he would use for that buffer sometime in October.

“There seems to be some harmony now between (Foster) and the surrounding community,” Brown said. “Now it’s up to the city to make sure those conditions are honored and kept in tact.”