Indianapolis-based property management company Muesing Management has proposed a mixed-use development in Bargersville southeast of State Road 135 and Whiteland Road.
Image provided by Town of Bargersville
An Indianapolis-based property management company has proposed a mixed-use development in Bargersville southeast of State Road 135 and Whiteland Road.
The project proposed by Muesing Management Company would come with 422 units that include apartments and townhomes, along with space for up to three commercial buildings. The company has petitioned the Bargersville Plan Commission to rezone 30 acres of land from agricultural and C-3 general commercial to R-5 multifamily residential and six acres of land from AG to C-3.
The proposal came before the commission on Monday but was delayed for two months because of questions over permission to access an existing road. The planned layout would require the developer to use Virginia Lane as a path between the commercial and residential lots. Access is still pending with the property owners from the South Grove strip mall, who maintain the road.
There would be two ways to get into the development from State Road 135, with an entrance south of Dannemiller True Value and between commercial lots to be built south of Shane Milam’s Used Cars. Virginia Lane would be extended south and a roundabout would be constructed behind the new commercial buildings, plans show.
This development is significant for the growing town. While there are other apartments in Bargersville, this project would be the largest apartment complex in the town, said Joe Csikos, development director. The project has a density of 14.1 units per acre, which is below the limit of 24 units an acre for R-5 designation. During the meeting Monday, plan commission members discussed limiting the final project to no more than 500 units, but they didn’t reach a final decision.
Plans show 11 three-story buildings containing 308 units and 16 two-story townhomes containing 114 units. The three-story buildings would include one and two-bedroom apartments, which are being called garden-style homes. The townhomes would have up to three bedrooms. The units would rent starting at $1,025 for a 667-square-foot one-bedroom apartment, to a three-bedroom, 1,578-square-foot townhome at $1,775.
The apartments would include kitchen appliances and an in-unit washer and dryer. Residents have access to amenities such as an outdoor pool, a pet washing center, a bike repair station, workout areas, a golf simulator and about eight acres of green space. That green space includes a dog park and trails that circle retention ponds and run parallel to State Road 135, according to planning documents.
The development would be located in the Center Grove school district. The apartments would likely be home to one child for every four units, said Kirby Kinghorn, Muesing Management’s president.
There aren’t any specific plans outlined yet for the commercial lots, but the developer will be required to follow the town’s rules for zoning. Once someone buys the commercial lot it would be up to the owners to construct a building there, Kinghorn said.
Just one member of the public spoke about the development during the public comment section of the meeting. Larry Vandenburg, of Franklin, owns property east of the development. Vandenburg said he believes a fence should be built to the east of the property to prevent children from running into his cornfields. He also shared concerns about the apartments being cheap.
Muesing Management has developed a similar neighborhood in Greenfield, the 348-unit Preserve on Blue Road subdivision. The company also manages several other developments in central Indiana, including the Courts of Valle Vista Apartments, Greenwood Oaks Townhomes, and the St. Andrews subdivision, in Greenwood.
“This is a product offering for the town to serve all of its citizens,” Kinghorn said. “It’s for folks who are just getting started in life, older folks who don’t want to maintain a home anymore, and folks in between. People often need an apartment at some stage in their life.”
During a time when many houses in the Bargersville area are selling for at least $300,000, the apartments would provide a good starting point for young adults who can’t yet afford to buy a house, said Joshua Graham, plan commission member.
“This is an opportunity to continue to attract young professionals,” he said. “To me, it’s, how do we continue to grow the community with folks who are just starting to spend some money and are growing in their careers? Also, the density does it for me when I see stuff like this. The subdivision increases tax base as far as the density that can fit there. That piece is attractive to me.”
If plan commission members give the rezone a favorable recommendation in October, it would head to the town council. If the town council votes in favor of the rezone, Muesing Management would return to the plan commission to present the project again, with the plan commission having the final say on approval.
