Lennar Homes is proposing building about 380 single-family homes near the intersection of Smokey Row Road and Honey Creek Road in Greenwood.
Provided by the city of Greenwood
A rezoning proposal for a 380-home subdivision on Greenwood’s west side has been approved by the city council.
City council members voted 8-0 with one member absent Wednesday in favor of rezoning about 245.1 acres of land from agricultural to residential zoning located northwest of Honey Creek Road and Smokey Row Roads. Miami-based Lennar Homes plans build up to 380 single-family homes in a subdivision dubbed “Honey Creek Farms.”
For the rezone Lennar is asking for about 172 acres of the 245 acres be rezoned to residential large zoning, which allows for homes that are larger than traditional suburban-style homes. These homes will likely be priced between $500,000 to $600,000, said Brian Tuohy, an attorney representing the developer.
The remaining acreage, about 72 acres or so, is asked to be zoned as residential medium. These homes will range in price from $400,000 to $500,000, Tuohy said.
The residential large zoning is primarily planned to be within the middle of the project, stretching from Honey Creek Road west before winding down to near Smokey Row Road. Residential medium zoning is planned for the area along Smokey Row Road, and a small section in the northwest that connects to the Center Grove Park Planned Unit Development, city documents indicate.
Center Grove Park is a mixed-used development that was approved by the city council earlier this year, bringing commercial, office and retail uses, along with 250 apartment units and up to 325 single-family rental homes, along State Road 135.
About 25.8 acres located on the southern edge of the property’s boundary near Honey Creek Road is planned to remain unchanged for now. The land is set aside for a future school, as Center Grove Community Schools has considered that section for an elementary school, Tuohy said.
At the time of the plan commission meeting, Lennar did not know for sure if a school would be built there, he said. However, Center Grove has since acquired the land, with the transfer being completed in December. The land was valued at $57,200 at the start of 2023, online property records show.
The land is part of Center Grove’s long-range building plan and will be used for the district’s seventh elementary school, said Stacy Conrad, a district spokesperson. This school will not be needed for several years.
“When the school will be needed depends on enrollment growth,” Conrad said. “As of today, our projections indicate the elementary would not be needed until after 2030.”
In October, the city’s advisory plan commission had voted 8-0 with one member absent to send a favorable recommendation to the city council. At that time, nearby residents had expressed concerns about the project’s effects on traffic and drainage, and Plan Commission Member Josh King had expressed concerns about the development taxing the Greenwood Fire Department, particularly Station 93 on Cutsinger Road.
Tuohy addressed the drainage concerns during his city council presentation, saying that during the plan commission meeting, the developer’s engineer said that they would maintain drainage and it would not create a problem for that person’s property.
He also discussed a letter from Jackie Bowman, whose family owns the land, that was given to the council. Bowman wanted the council to they know that her family fully supported the proposal as both sellers and neighbors. She and her mother plan to continue to live at their property as the development is built, Tuohy said.
No one from the public spoke out about the project on Monday evening, but city council members did. Council member Erin Betron, who lives in the area, expressed concerns about increased traffic on Honey Creek and Smokey Row roads — particularly if a school would also be built at the intersection.
She asked if any thought had been given to the right of way near the intersection of Honey Creek and Tracy roads for a roundabout, which would also be affected by a Duke Energy power substation already at the intersection. She was also concerned about increased traffic heading toward Whiteland.
“Trying to turn left in that area is very, very difficult,” Betron said.
The question would be better answered by city staff, Tuohy said. Planning Director Gabe Nelson said the city engineer had reviewed the developer’s traffic study, but roundabouts are not usually fully constructed by a single developer as this wouldn’t be feasible. However, it is something the city can look into, and this would be analyzed as officials work through the site design process, he said.
Betron said having a school in the area will only make traffic worse. However, at the time of the plan commission hearing, Center Grove hadn’t confirmed they were buying the land, Nelson said.
“That’s definitely something that we will need to consider, especially when the school sends in their proposed plans. We’ll want to look at that [traffic] circulation,” he said.
Before the discussion ended, Council President Mike Campbell said he had talked to Mayor Mark Myers about road improvements on Honey Creek, of which several are needed.
Council member David Hopper asked Tuohy whether Lennar planned to use vinyl siding for the development — a longstanding tradition of his when it comes to housing developments in Greenwood. Tuohy said they did not, and Hopper was later successful in passing an amendment that prohibited vinyl siding anyway.
