Representatives from a San Jose development firm recently met with the Novato Design Review Commission to talk about exterior colors and other details of a 25-unit subdivision on the vacant lot that used to be home to Novato Community Hospital.

Commissioners met with the Barry Swenson Builders project manager, architects and designers Sept. 19 at the lot at Hill and Canyon roads just south of the downtown area and a few blocks west of the Margaret Todd Senior Center.

The meeting was to consider approval of exterior home colors, finish colors for precast block retaining walls, metal and wood picket fencing and other site features for 25 single-family homes on the 7.47-acre site. The commissioners made a few suggestions to the developers about the location of fences and then made a motion to adopt the details. It passed on a 4-0 vote.

The project, which includes homes in an oval pattern with a park-like green area in the middle, was approved by the Novato City Council four years ago but the slow economy led Swenson to delay construction until now, city officials said.

Swenson representatives said it's too early to pinpoint how much the homes would cost or share a schedule on the construction timeline, but target date of the final map being provided to the city planners is early 2012.