Heideloff Estate Sold — But Not to Developers

The estate once eyed for a 14-home development has been sold.

To a family.

The sale of the 2.6 acre property on Edgewater Drive — commonly known as the Heideloff Estate — is expected to be finalized later this month.

A was scrapped .

City officials told the developers at Abode Living that — under the zoning code — there could be no more than a dozen single-story homes built on the 2.6-acre property.

The company informed the city shortly afterward that it was no longer pursuing the project.

City officials are happy with the outcome.

“Having a great owner in the house is the best course for historic preservation,” said Dru Siley, the city's assistant director of planning and development.

The previous owners of the property — who had lived there for 30 years — turned the deed of the estate over to mortgage lenders. The four-bedroom, 4.5-bath home — with a soaring foyer, grand staircase, a formal dining room overlooking a reflection pond, cherry floors and a carriage house — had been vacant since.

Mayor Michael Summers — who himself lives near the property —said that the city has a dire need for single-story housing for seniors.

But he added that the proposed development “would not be compatible with the neighborhood context.”

The future of the lakefront property, at 13474 Edgewater Drive, had been heavily debated with neighbors speaking out against the proposal.