Another industrial park is in the works, this time on a controversial piece of land in southeast Greenwood.
Scannell Properties, an Indianapolis-based developer, plans to build the Worthsville Commerce Center on 93 acres of land at the southeast corner of Allen and Collins roads in Greenwood.
The industrial park will consist of up to five warehouses. The Greenwood Advisory Plan Commission unanimously approved the primary plat for the first speculative building Monday night.
This first lot will be the largest on the property, spanning nearly 63 acres. There are no set plans for the other lots, but construction of the park should be completed by 2026, according to city documents.
The land that is being developed for the industrial park has a rocky history. It is located south of the Homecoming at University Heights subdivision, directly across the street on Allen Road.
Residents of the neighborhood protested rezoning the land to industrial twice in the last two years, saying there was too much industrial development in the area and feared increases in truck traffic. But despite concerns brought up when the rezone was proposed for a second time in September, the Greenwood City Council approved it in a 5-4 split vote.
To push the rezone through, Scannell and property owner, GLA Properties, LLC, agreed to meet extra requirements to appease residents’ concerns. Twelve-foot berms will be built into the landscape around the property to serve as sound barriers, and buildings will sit back at least 120 feet from the homes along the back side of the subdivision.
The city council also approved an ordinance banning semi-truck traffic on Allen Road, between Collins and Griffith roads, which backs up to several houses in the Homecoming neighborhood.
Trucks will enter the future Worthsville Commerce Center on Collins Road, according to city documents. Scannell also agreed to pay for road improvements, such as mill and overlay, on Graham, Collins and Allen roads.
