Rezone for townhomes at Fairview and Bluff roads questioned by neighbors

White River Township residents are again expressing concerns about plans for a piece of land at Fairview and Bluff roads.

A proposal to build apartments on the same parcel fell through at this time last year, and a new developer plans to petition the Johnson County Plan Commission to build townhomes on the property.

The rezoning request has not been submitted to county planning officials at this time, but the project was presented to neighbors last week at New Hope Church.

About the project

Lennar Homes plans to request a rezone to build 122 new townhomes on a 14-acre property that is bordered by Bluff Road, Fairview Road and I-69.

The townhomes would be between 1,700 and 1,800 square feet and would include three bedrooms, 2.5 baths and a two-car garage. They would also come with fixtures, stainless steel appliances, hardwood floors and be energy efficient, said Tony Bagato, Lennar entitlements manager.

The townhomes would be for purchase, not for rent. Two different layouts would be available, one with a garage in the front and one with a garage in the rear.

“We are doing two different types of the product, but they are both two-story,” said Bagato. “We anticipate the townhomes to be in the high $ 200,000s to low $ 300,000s.”

Included with the development would also be a central common area including open space for a trail and a park-like setting.

The site currently is zoned commercial, but Lennar plans to request to rezone it for planned unit development, or PUD, said Brian Tuohy, an attorney representing Lennar for this project.

“Lennar’s proposal, which they have not done yet, is to file a rezoning request to rezone the site from B-2 to probably a planned unit development,” he said. “The petition to rezone it would go forward to the Johnson County Planning Commission.”

The target market for the townhomes would be individuals over the age of 55 or for first-time families who do not want to maintain the yard and exterior of the complex. All units would be individually sold and there would be provisions in place that would disallow rentals less than 30 days, said Bagato.

Public concern

Concerns were raised by neighbors during the public presentation, were heightened because of the proposal that was put forward last year. The previous proposal was for 216 apartment units.

Several White River Township community members who disapproved of the previous development were in attendance during Thursday’s presentation.

Multiple individuals were worried about the possibility that a buyer would purchase multiple townhomes and rent them out. This is not something that could not be stipulated against because of fair housing laws, Bagato said. However, he said it is highly unlikely for a buyer to do this because of the high price of the individual units and they would have to establish a high enough rent to cover their mortgage and insurance payments.

“We will talk to the municipalities and if they want to adopt any legislation locally, we would follow those guidelines,” said Bagato. “The trouble with us restricting who we sell to, it leaves us open to litigation because of fair housing and federal laws.”

People also expressed a concern that if the homes were not able to be sold, they would eventually be rented and changed to low-income housing units. Community members were also concerned about an increase in crime.

Neighbors asked about the property’s drainage system and parking. Plans show drainage would go into a pond north of the property and that all street parking will be internal to the development.

Traffic was a concern, especially given the development is in the increasingly busy I-69 corridor. Representatives said Lennar is in the process of conducting a traffic study.

Some individuals indicated worry over whether the local schools would be able to handle an influx in population. Tuohy said that they plan to check with Center Grove schools to hear their thoughts on the matter.

Most who raised concerns said they believe the zoning should remain commercial or be used for something that could benefit the existing community. They tossed development ideas around such as doctors’ offices, a community center or a senior center.

Tuohy pointed out this property has been ready to develop commercially for years with no results.

“I think this land has been for sale for quite a while,” Tuohy said. “I think you have to acknowledge that the access to it is harder to get to than it was years ago. It may get retail use, but it just hasn’t for a long time. There have been signs out. It is zoned and ready to go. There are utilities there and good visibility. I’m not saying it won’t happen. It just hasn’t.”

There were a few who turned out to support the project and said it was a step in the right direction toward a compromise from last year’s apartment proposal.

Moving forward

Lennar is looking to file its rezoning request with the Johnson County Plan Commission soon, likely in January. Without any delay, neighbors would likely receive notice of a public hearing on the project toward the end of February, Tuohy said.

If approved this spring, Lennar would hope to start construction by spring 2025.

“With 122 townhomes, we’d probably see a 2 to 3-year build-out,” said Bagato. “We’d finish probably around 2028 at the latest.”