By Noah Crenshaw | Daily Journal
The Greenwood City Council on Monday greenlit a controversial rezoning on the city’s far-southwest side that could lead to the development of at least two high-end restaurants.
The city council voted 6-3 to rezone 6.5 acres of land for a commercial project near the Barn at Bay Horse Inn, off Stones Crossing Road, with an amendment adding nearly 20 excluded uses for the site.
Indianapolis-based Cunningham Restaurant Group wants to develop the land northeast of Stones Crossing Road and Galena Drive. The developer is responsible for several well-known restaurants in the Midwest, including Bru Burger Bar, a restaurant with a growing number of locations in central Indiana, and Charbonos, an Avon steakhouse. It is unclear what restaurants are in the works in Greenwood.
Preliminary plans call for three facilities to be built. The first would be a 4,800-square-foot building, the second would be a 6,000-square foot-building, and the last would be a 15,400-square foot building. The development would also include a 1.2-acre common area with a detention pond, according to city documents.
The two smaller buildings would be standalone restaurants, while the third and largest building would be used for future retail development.
The land is owned by Amanda Cottingham-Johnson, the owner of Barn at Bay Horse Inn, an event and wedding venue located immediately north of the proposed development. Cottingham and the developer came before the council to request a rezone of the site to commercial medium from residential large, which would allow the plans to move forward. The Greenwood Advisory Plan Commission last week voted 5-4 to give the rezone a favorable recommendation.
More than 40 residents attended this week’s council meeting to voice their opposition to and support of the rezone.
Dr. David Bechtel, the manager of 16 optometry retail stores across Indiana, told the council he was against the rezone because it cannot be guaranteed that restaurants would be built there within three years. He was also concerned that adult entertainment shops or bars would move in.
“You cannot guarantee what is going to be in this six-acre lot in three-to-five years. No one can,” Bechtel said.
Dawn Adachi, who lives adjacent to the property, told the council she hopes the area stays residential, and that she is concerned about light and noise from the development. There is already a lot of noise from events that take place at the Barn, and sometimes she has to wear headphones to block it out, she said.
Debbie Cottingham, who lives on the property that is being rezoned, said she could not hear noise from the Barn and she does not have to wear headphones in her home.
Adachi later asked the council if she could speak again regarding Cottingham’s comments.
“You are welcome to come to my home to listen to (the noise) on Friday or Saturday evenings,” she said.
Greg Ilko, an engineer representing Cunningham, told the city council the developer had taken into account several concerns that were brought up during the plan commission meeting, including drainage. The drainage patterns for the area will not change and will route to the west-northwest, toward Copper Chase at Stones Crossing apartments, he said.
A four-foot-tall buffer between the development and nearby homes would also be built, along with other landscaping that would eliminate car headlights shining into nearby homes, Ilko said.
The developer also committed to excluding certain types of businesses from using the retail spaces. Automotive, automotive services, lodging, recreation and residential care businesses would not be allowed at the site, he said.
Council members Ron Bates and David Lekse voiced their disappointment that there would not be a win-win situation for all parties involved.
Lekse was also concerned that the council was being asked to add more empty buildings to the city.
“We have empty restaurant spaces in the city already,” he said. “I’m up against the proposal for that reason, plus the change in the scenery in this neck of the woods.”
Council member David Hopper asked to amend the ordinance to add 17 more commitments, excluding more types of businesses such as funeral homes, tattoo services and massage parlors. His amendment was met with concern from Cottingham and her attorney, Tom Vander of Van Valer Law Firm.
Change is difficult, but Greenwood is changing fast and needs more businesses. If other developers can approve what goes into their retail spaces, then why should the council limit what they can do with the site, Vander said.
Council member Linda Gibson said employees at The Barn are considerate about noise levels in the area, and the area is in need of upscale restaurants. It’s only a matter of time before the area will change again, she said.
