Neighbors are speaking out strongly for and against a rezoning request to expand Duke Homes’s commercial development at County Road 144 and State Road 37.
The development would be a $200 million investment for the Town of Bargersville, and would bring the future western gateway into Bargersville from Interstate 69 into more clear focus, proponents of the project say.
Duke Homes, which has already been granted a request to rezone 166 acres at the intersection for commercial development, is requesting to rezone 30 more acres to expand the Bargersville-based developer’s plans for the site.
The request is set to go before the town council at 1 p.m. Tuesday. The Bargersville Advisory Plan Commission forwarded the additional rezoning request to the town council with an unfavorable recommendation. The council declined to vote on the request from Duke Homes and P.J.D., LLC at its Sept. 15 meeting, choosing to consider the issue further before taking action.
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Residents east of the project object because, with the additional 30 acres, the 196-acre development would come closer to existing estate-level homes and horse boarding business, Shoot the Moon Stables.
But some residents who live in a strip of homes directly in front of the development along County 144 see the development as an opportunity for their town to progress.
The development
The development, dubbed The Grove at White River, has been in the planning stages for years. An initial rezone of 166 acres was approved in 2017, but was put on hold while awaiting I-69, said Mike Duke, owner and broker of Bargersville-based Duke Homes.
The property, on the southwest corner of the County Road 144 and State Road 37 intersection, was rezoned to C-4, a broad commercial zoning classification, from agricultural, according to town records.
The 30-acre property that is now under consideration by the town council is another rezone from to C-4 from agricultural. The property was not included in the original proposal because the land acquisition had not been finalized at that time, Duke said.
Aside from making the development larger, Duke said he wants to add the 30 acres to make sure the western gateway develops in a way that adds to instead of detracts from Bargersville’s image.
“I’m also concerned as a property owner about what could come in next to us. We know that what we put in will be nice,” Duke said.
The site plan includes two hotels, a medical office building, several commercial buildings and multi-family housing. Duke’s goal is to build the development out as businesses are confirmed, building each site to suit the needs of its tenant.
The development is expected to bring about $2.5 million in new tax dollars annually to the town, according to Duke’s estimates.
Under C-4 zoning, many types of businesses are possible, but Duke has agreed to limits on what can move in. A list of businesses that will not be considered for the development is included in the new rezoning request.
If it is approved as presented, it would make sure the following types of businesses cannot locate there: sexually-oriented, tavern, call center, kennel, taxidermist, child care, auction house, package store, pawnshop, consignment store, tattoo parlor, public sanitary sewer or water treatment facility, according to the proposed ordinance.
The commitments, along with a buffer area that is 20 feet larger than what is required by the town are both ways Duke is working with neighbors, trying to respect their concerns, he said. The development also includes a conservation area, and walking trails may be built on part of the property, he said.
Right now, Duke is working to finalize a contract with a local health system, and reviewing proposals from upscale businesses, he said. The goal is to be a destination where nearby residents will want to come, not just a pit-stop on the way to somewhere else, he said.
With an interstate access road planned across from the development, Duke envisions traffic from housing developments on Travis Road and Stones Crossing Road to funnel toward the development for both business and pleasure, he said.
Construction could begin next year for tenants that would be less impacted by I-69 construction; for example, the medical office building, Duke said. Other developments would be built closer to the end of mainline I-69 construction, when the customer base is expected to increase in the area, he said.
Construction will also include a new Bargersville Utilities lift station, bringing sewer services to the area for the first time, Duke said.
The concerns
Several neighbors east of the development have been vocal opponents of adding 30 more acres to it since it first came before the plan commission earlier this year.
They say Duke’s commitments aren’t enough to protect their way of life, and wonder why so much development is being approved so fast.
Robin Messer has called the land next to the 30-acre property home since 1972. When she was young, the whole area was her playground, as well as her family’s livelihood revolving around crops and horses.
Over the years, Messer’s family gradually sold off acres of their land. Now, several neighbors opposed to the development call it home.
Messer lived in her parent’s house in her youth, then came back to build a home of her own with her husband, Adam, in 1993.
Other grand homes popped up in the last 20 years on lush properties tucked back off the county road, an oasis of country life nestled near the woods and a comfortable distance from the bright lights of town.
Each couple wants to preserve their slice of country life, not just for them, but for their grandchildren, they said.
“It is sad for us because this is our heart’s desire,” Messer said. “When the kids got out of high school, we thought maybe we should sell. But in our heart of hearts, we can’t. This the greatest playground for grandkids there is.”
Lisa and Pete Olson have lived in their home for nearly two decades, they’ve raised their kids and made their home there. To suddenly live so close to a commercial development that will bring traffic and light pollution is a hard pill to swallow, Lisa Olson said.
“I’m heartbroken. We’ve lived here 19 years,” she said. “I don’t want to say how dare you, but put it in your backyard, you know?”
Instead of a commercial development that could end up sitting empty, neighbors would like to see a park or green space that would be well-loved by the surrounding community.
“If this is going to be the gateway into the community, based on the comprehensive plan, the only appropriate thing seems to be a green space or a park,” said James Pheifer. “It wouldn’t be that expensive for a community of this size to invest $2-3 million in a park to buffer us from a ridiculous commercial development.”
Stuart Rowe, who built his nearby home two years ago, said the lack of transition between the commercial development and homes is concerning. Though Duke gave neighbors 20 extra feet, that doesn’t provide all that much more buffer, Rowe said.
While the initial 166 acres are already rezoned, neighbors would still like to see this space spared from commercial development. They question why more development is needed when other commercial building spaces along State Road 135 remain empty.
And with the comprehensive plan’s emphasis on maintaining the town’s agricultural heritage, it is unfathomable to Jackie Getner, owner of Shoot the Moon Stables, that town officials would allow the rural character of her agribusiness to be compromised.
“You’re going to put lights right there?” Getner asked rhetorically, pointing toward the planned development. “Just 50 feet beyond those trees, there is going to be a huge commercial development. You have a hardcore commercial from (State Road) 37 on, can’t you go one level lower?”
Getner moved to the property right next door to the 30-acre property six years ago, chasing her dream of living in the country and having her horses on the same property, she said.
If the additional rezoning is approved, that dream would be dampened, she said.
Not all neighbors are opposed to the rezoning though. For neighbors such as Veronica Kays, who lives in the strip of homes along County Road 144 that was not included in the previous annexation, the development is welcome.
Since Duke first purchased the property 10 years ago, Kays and her neighbors have been living with uncertainty, wondering when the development would come and whether they should try to sell their home too.
“I’m happy about it,” Kays said. “I am ready for Duke. I’ve been waiting for him to do this for 10 years. We don’t know whether to build that new garage or replace those leaky windows. I’ve had my life on hold for 10 years.”
Though Kays is poised to live right in front of a multi-building commercial and medical development, she is just happy to see her town progress, she said.
Kays hopes to eventually sell her property to Duke and buy a new home elsewhere allowing the area to develop to its fullest extent.
Even if she doesn’t sell, Kays looks forward to the convenience of having stores and restaurants nearby, she said.
“If he doesn’t give me a good enough price, I’ll just keep living here and ride my golf cart to the store,” Kays said.
