Eudora ? A growing residential area near Eudora High School is hoping to get bigger.

The Shadow Ridge development, which has lots for more than 70 homes, would add as many as 53 houses on another 40 acres along the south side of North 1200 Road, less than a quarter mile west of Douglas County Road 1061.

The property’s annexation into Eudora won support Wednesday from county commissioners, who agreed the plan would “not hinder or prevent the proper growth and development of the area.” The annexation request next goes to the Eudora City Council.

When it arrives, officials will have a chance to make room for more population growth in a community with about 6,300 residents, up from 3,000 in 1990.

Michael Yanez, who started July 1 as Eudora city administrator, said 100 homes were built in town last year, and Eudora has averaged six new housing starts a month this year.

“The message I’m hearing from citizens about growth is we know it’s coming; let’s deal with it and make sure it’s reasonable and responsible growth,” Yanez said. “Let’s stay ahead of the curve.”

Landplan Engineering is drawing the expansion plans for developers Dwight Perry and John McGrew.

“As Eudora continues to grow, and the schools get stronger and stronger and the respect continues to grow, people will continue to find that it’s a great place to live,” said Phil Struble, president and chief executive officer of Landplan Engineering. “These opportunities will happen. This place has a lot going for it.”

The city’s location between Lawrence and the Kansas City metro area continues to welcome buyers drawn by commuting convenience and affordable prices, Struble said.

The annexation would help make room for various styles of housing  duplexes, townhomes and estate lots  in the Eudora market, Struble said.

By adding variety to the residential mix, he said, developers intend to build on the area’s promising future.

“They’ve figured out that what’s going on in Eudora right now is everybody’s building the same thing: single-family houses, $110,000 to $150,000, and that’s it,” Struble said. “There’s no diversity in housing selection.”

Struble said Eudora might not be ready for estate lots  which are typically two or three times the size of a typical city lot  but “if you don’t plan on that mix of housing, you’ll never get that opportunity.”

A previous request from the developers to build multifamily housing in town was rejected by the Eudora Planning Commission.

A new $16 million Eudora High School is being built just north of the current school south of Kansas Highway 10 and along the west side of County Road 1061. The existing school borders the first phase of Shadow Ridge and will be converted into a middle school.

Shadow Ridge, in all, will include about 120 acres and take up to eight years to complete, Struble said.