Letter to the editor:
It’s a rising trend that many warehouses and other various commercial businesses like hotels are looking at Greenwood as a great place to build their new facilities. I understand why Greenwood would be such an attractive place for them, we’re right on Interstate 65 and close to access to 70, we’ve got lower taxes than Marion or Hamilton counties, and a great workforce to pull from.
Unfortunately the sites that many of these developers want to build on are either already zoned or set to be zoned in the comprehensive plan as residential areas. Many people looked at Greenwood’s comprehensive plan and assumed that it was inflexible, that if they invested in a home they wouldn’t be surprised by looking out their window one day to have their view obscured by a giant commercial building.
These assumptions for some were wrong, and unfortunately the city has gone forward with some projects that were ill advised. I am not against warehouses, it’s a fine way to make a living and a necessary part of our growing economy. The inclusion of them in southeast Greenwood, however, gives me pause for a few reasons. First is that our architectural standards have made it impossible for someone at the salaries that these jobs pay to buy an affordable home in Greenwood. If we’re going to accept these types of jobs the least we could do is help build up our workforce base by allowing the addition of more affordable housing options in the city.
The next is that there seems to be little if any thought about how these types of businesses will affect the safety, infrastructure and property values of the area in which they’re choosing to construct.
This is one of the reasons I’m running for Greenwood Common Council in District 1. I believe Greenwood deserves a thoughtful and considerate municipal government that isn’t going to prioritize raising short term revenue at the expense of long term potential. Despite what some of the other cities and towns around the Indianapolis area have done, I would like to see Greenwood advance into a fiscally sound future and help make us a leader and honest and fair governance for all the stakeholders in our city.
Matthew Smith
Greenwood
