Come April, another portion of Wayne County’s greater housing initiative will break ground in Richmond’s Hidden Valley subdivision.
Adding housing to the westside subdivision is one of five projects that are part of the Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County’s home accelerator program. The other two in Richmond are Garwood Acres and Sandbridge Hills, along with Meers Estates in Cambridge City and Willowbrook Place in Centerville.
The Hidden Valley project advances neighborhood updates first conceived 22 years ago. The EDC has partnered with Trademark Construction LLC to begin the framework for 20 new homes there, a mix of ranch and two-story single-family houses will vary from 1,500 to 2,500 square feet on 14,000 sq. ft lots. Houses will feature three bedrooms, two bathrooms and a walkout basement, and range from $350,000 to $450,000. Grants available through the EDC will subsidize $10,000 of the developer’s investment in each lot.
“This project demonstrates the momentum behind the Housing Accelerator Program and our shared commitment to delivering new, attainable housing,” said Sarah Mitchell, economic development manager with the EDC of Wayne County, in a news release. “Hidden Valley is setting a strong standard for future developments. It demonstrates how targeted investment can transform vacant, platted subdivisions into productive housing.”
Mitchell said the program leverages public-private partnerships to accelerate development and bring new homes to market. The project is a part of a recent $26 million investment county-wide in efforts to make the county more attractive to families and workers looking for housing options.
Funding for the project comes from the Consolidated EDIT Fund and Wayne County’s EDIT Fund. Grants will cover costs for street, sidewalk and utilities construction.
Richmond’s Advisory Plan Commission approved the project in May 2025 and affirmed Trademark as a partner the following month. Construction for all houses must be completed by Dec. 31, 2029. Any unbuilt housing funds will return to the EDC.
Updated February 10, 2026 at 1:40 p.m. to reflect that groundbreaking for the Hidden Valley subdivision work will happen in April; an earlier version incorrectly indicated the housing projects would be complete by then. We also clarified that the $10,000 grants available from the EDC will assist with developer investment in the lots; an earlier version incorrectly indicated it would cover the cost of the homes. We also clarified other aspects of the project, including the total number of accelerator program projects and the overall timeline, and made style updates. Western Wayne News regrets the errors.
A version of this article appeared in the February 11 2026 print edition of the Western Wayne News.