Scaled down Center Grove townhouse plan moves forward

<p>A unique housing complex that will be marketed to empty-nesters and young professionals is still planned for a busy Center Grove intersection, albeit on a smaller scale due to the city council’s rejection of the initial project.</p><p>Redwood Acquisitions LLC, an Ohio-based company that develops and manages several rental communities across the Midwest, wanted to build 186 multi-family, ranch-style townhouses east of State Road 135 and south of Smokey Row Road, but the city said no to a proposed rezone. Now, they will build 100 units on part of that land that is already zoned for multi-family.</p><p>Last fall, the developer requested rezoning about 37 acres of farmland between State Road 135 and Honey Creek Road — one phase of a two-phase project. That site was annexed into Greenwood in 2010, according to city documents.</p><p>The planning commission approved it, but the city council said no to the rezone by a vote of 5-4 because it was not what they had in mind for the area, and they didn’t like the uniform look of the apartments.</p><p>The developer now plans to construct a smaller complex on the neighboring 36 acres that are already zoned appropriately, city officials said.</p><p>All of the homes in this community will be connected ranch-style units that have features similar to a single-family home, including one- or two-car attached garages and patios on the back, and they will all look exactly the same. They will range in size from 1,100 to 1,600 square feet, and include two bedrooms and two bathrooms. Rents will range from $1,210 to $2,000 per month.</p><p>The project will include 14 buildings, down from the 26 that were initially proposed.</p><p>The closest Redwood community is in Franklin Township, off Stop 11 Road east of Interstate 65. That community offers 24-hour maintenance, curbside recycling and trash pickup, furnished units and a dog park. Other Redwood communities are in Noblesville, Westfield, Whitestown, Brownsburg, Danville and Plainfield. This would be the first in Johnson County.</p><p>In most cases, one or two people would live in each unit, although up to four could, and they will not be limited to empty-nesters and young professionals, just marketed to those groups. The developer is estimating about 200 new residents, and students would attend Center Grove schools.</p><p>Greenwood’s long-term comprehensive plan calls for some sort of transitional housing, such as upscale apartments, between the businesses to the west and single-family homes to the east of this development, which is currently mostly farmland.</p><p>The proximity to businesses in the area, such as Kroger, Pet Valu, Great Clips and a few restaurants, would be a draw for renters, the developer said previously.</p><p>They plan to follow all of the city’s required standards, including using masonry stone on all four sides of the homes and no siding.</p><p>The city is requiring that the complex have at least two access roads, city documents said.</p>