Bargersville residents near a future Interstate 69 interchange are rallying against a major commercial development proposed by local developer Duke Homes.
Five residents spoke out against adding 30 more acres to an existing 166-acre development that is planned at the southeast corner of County Road 144 and State Road 37.
Residents are objecting because the 30 additional acres would bring the 196-acre development closer to existing homes, some of which are worth $1 million or more.
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Click here to purchase photos from this galleryNearby residents went before the Bargersville Town Council Tuesday to express concerns about the development, dubbed The Grove at White River. They expressed those concerns last month with the Bargersville Plan Commission, which forwarded the proposal to the council with an unfavorable recommendation.
The development has unfolded over the course of a few years, with efforts to finalize the project now intensifying as I-69 construction inches closer, said Mike Duke, owner and broker of Duke Homes.
“We are looking forward to having this be a great gateway into Bargersville from the west side,” Duke said.
In 2017, the town rezoned 166 acres, but the project was put on hold due to I-69, Duke said. The property was rezoned from agricultural to C-4, a broad commercial zoning classification, according to town records.
Now, Duke wants to rezone another 30 acres from agricultural to C-4. The additional 30-acre property was not included in the original proposal because the land acquisition had not been finalized at the time, Duke said.
Overall, the site plan calls for several commercial buildings and a multi-family housing development. The C-4 classification opens the door to a broad range of possibilities for the development.
A plan for the initial proposal divides the property into potential uses. On the east side of the property, a 16-acre multi-family housing complex is imagined, along with a 21-acre shopping center and a seven-acre medical office building. On the west side, 11 acres is earmarked for a movie theater, and 10 acres for two hotels.
On the fringes of the development, 15 additional parcels between 0.97 acres and 1.8 acres are outlined without potential uses listed.
Residents are mostly concerned about the zoning classification’s broad range of possibilities, they said. So far, no tenants have been announced, and they worry about what might move in.
“To use a football term, people are looking at having their home two or three first downs from a crappy retail development,” said James Pheifer, a nearby resident.
Pheifer and others worry about what these businesses might do to their quality of life and property values. Though homes valued at less that $300,000 are closest to the development, residents say the proposed development is too close to estate homes in the area.
As Pheifer put it, the town is faced with a choice between planned, thoughtful growth and haphazard growth, he said.
Residents urged the town council to think about whether the development is a good way to preserve Bargersville’s rural character, a stated goal of the town’s Vision 2040 plan.
Jackie Gentner, whose home and horse boarding business, Shoot the Moon Stables, is adjacent to the development, said the development does not protect the town’s rural character. If approved, she fears, among other things, her property would be lit up constantly with bright lights, and said she is concerned about how those lights might impact security at her property.
Other residents called for a bigger buffer to shield existing homes from the proposed development. About six homes sit directly in front of the development, on State Road 144. Some buffer is already present in the plan, but the buffer provides more of a shield for the rear of the proposed development.
A 21-acre nature conservation area is included at the back of the development, and several drainage ponds are proposed to the east.
Another 31-acre buffer is planned adjacent to the 30-acre addition that is being proposed. It is part of the development but not part of the rezoning request, so it will keep its agricultural zoning classification. Future plans for that portion of the property have not been announced.
After weighing the development plan against the town’s comprehensive plan against the development plan, the town’s plan commission forwarded the proposal to the town council with an unfavorable recommendation.
According to a staff report on the plan commission’s decision, the commission considered the following items in its decision: the comprehensive plan, current conditions and structures in the area, the most desirable land use, conservation of property values, and responsible development and growth.”
The town council decided not to take action on the additional rezoning proposal Tuesday, instead asking Duke Homes to bring the proposal back to them next month.
