Advocacy paid off for neighbors of a planned industrial park on Franklin’s eastside.
The neighbors wrote to and met with city officials and developers throughout the process, never letting up on their hope to get a higher berm to shield them from potentially 40-foot-tall buildings to be built in Sunbeam Development Corporations planned I-65 Commerce Park.
The company agreed to a minimum 10-foot undulating dirt berm to shield the neighbors from lights and sounds at the site. The company arrived at the compromise after speaking with city officials and reviewing comments from neighbors, said Ken Kern, Sunbeam’s vice president of property development.
The compromise was added to the company’s list of commitments before the Franklin City Council approved the annexation and rezoning of the land next to the Nyberg subdivision on Monday. Both the annexation and rezoning passed 6-0, with one member absent.
Kern also told the council and neighbors who attended the meeting the company would consider placing a drainage pond near the berm, if that is feasible. The location of the ponds are still to be determined, as is the layout of the nearly 550-acre commerce park.
The annexation adds 56 additional acres contiguous to the 491 acres that have already been annexed into the city for the $350 million development along State Road 44, east of Interstate 65. It is sandwiched between the Nyberg subdivision and land that was recently rezoned to light industrial for Franklin Tech Park.
The additional land will add to Sunbeam’s plans to develop buildings ranging in size from 500,000 square feet to 1 million square feet. Site plans are still in the works, but an initial plan for 213 acres included four buildings ranging in size from 675,000 square feet to 1.2 million square feet.
The additional land will allow Sunbeam to create a cohesive plan for long-range growth over the next 10 to 15 years at the site. The size of the buildings and how many will be constructed will be determined based on market trends at the time, Kern said.
Several neighbors attended the meeting Monday, though they were not able to offer additional public comment. After the proposal was approved, Melody Miller, a neighbor who had been advocating for a 15-foot berm, said a 10-foot berm is still a win for the neighborhood. If not for the neighbor’s advocacy, the berm might have been as little as five-feet tall.
“It isn’t exactly what we expected, but it goes to show you that through prayer and constant effort of not giving up pays off,” Miller said. “Through not being afraid to be that David who takes on the giant, I’ve learned a lot about this process.”
Miller wants to continue her advocacy at the Indiana Statehouse in hopes of getting more protective standards in place for neighbors of industrial parks statewide, she said.
“We see a huge need for a change in local ordinances with all these huge buildings going up. We need a different kind of berm,” Miller said. “We want to take it to the state level. We’ve got a fire going … Times are changing and the ordinances need to change with them.”
City officials were also glad to see Sunbeam’s willingness to compromise. Several council members and Mayor Steve Barnett had publicly urged Kern to consider a higher berm during a public hearing on the annexation and rezone earlier this month.
Several council members and Barnett also reached out to Sunbeam to speak with them about it. Council members Bob Heuchan and Ken Austin said it was about putting themselves in the neighbor’s shoes and taking their concerns seriously.
“We wanted to be open an have a dialogue — let these folks know that we do listen to what they are saying,” Heuchan said.
Council members advocated for the change to accommodate the city’s growth with less negative impact on neighbors.
“We have a job to do here, but I’m extremely compassionate about other people and their concerns,” Austin said. “It directly affected my only child, who lives just west of Nyberg. It directly affected my family, but I wanted to do what was best for everyone.”
Given their willingness to compromise, Barnett expects Sunbeam will do what they can to shield the neighbors, he said.
“I understand their concerns. I hope we helped with their concerns,” Barnett said. “I also know from speaking with Sunbeam, the holding ponds will be close to the berm if the drainage is right. I know they do want to work with the neighborhood and work with the neighbors. They have a good record. We know that from working with them on Energizer.”
