Residents of southeast Greenwood once again protested the rezoning of a large property in their area for industrial use.
This time, though, they were unsuccessful.
The Greenwood City Council approved rezoning two properties totaling more than 100 acres north of Worthsville Road to industrial from agricultural for possible warehouse development.
Illinois-based GLA Properties, LLC presented two separate proposals for rezoning the farmland. The first proposal asked for about 12 acres of land along Interstate 65, just west of Graham Road and north of Worthsville Road, to be rezoned for industrial use. Another, separate proposal asked for 98 acres of land at the intersection of Adams and Collins roads to also be rezoned for industrial use.
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Both properties will be rezoned, but there are no proposed developments yet, according to city documents.
"This land is zoned for agricultural use, and that’s really not practical anymore," said Brian Tuohy, an attorney representing the developer.
The Greenwood Advisory Plan Commission last month sent favorable recommendations for both to the Greenwood City Council.
The city council unanimously approved the first proposal to rezone the 12-acre property during its meeting Monday night.
Then, the council passed the second proposal to rezone the 98-acre property in a split 5-4 vote. Council members Mike Campbell, Bob Dine, Linda Gibson, Ezra Hill and David Hopper voted in favor of the proposal.
Council members Ron Bates, Dave Lekse, Bradley Pendleton and Mike Williams voted against it. Before voting, Williams told his fellow council members that they should not easily consider "writing a blank check" for a developer to rezone the land without any set plans.
"We don’t know exactly what they are proposing for this land other than pretty much, ‘Let us develop it as we see fit,’" Williams said. "There’s too many things we need to look at here, guys; the infrastructure is not there."
This land is across the street from the south end of the Homecoming at University Heights subdivision, and dozens of residents attended the council’s virtual meeting Monday night to urge council members to vote down the proposals.
Taking up the entire 20-minute time slot the public has to address agenda items before the council, the residents, one by one, took turns telling the council they disapprove of the rezoning because of the already heavy industrial presence near the 933-home neighborhood.
Over the years, industrial properties, including the recent Amazon Fulfillment Center, have built up around the neighborhood. The subdivision was developed in the midst of a warehouse expansion in the early 2000s. In some cases, the backs of houses are located just 60 feet from these warehouses.
Those warehouses already cause heavy truck traffic on narrow, two-lane roads and constant noise, the residents said Monday. Adding more warehouses would make the traffic worse, nearby resident Kelli Higgins said.
"Not only has the traffic outside the neighborhood gotten worse, but these trucks are coming through the neighborhood," Higgins said. "Our home is in the middle of the neighborhood, but we hear so much noise day and night from all the warehouses."
Another nearby resident, Judy Olds, built her home in the neighborhood 14 years ago, and she is disappointed with the way the area has built up, she said.
"I did not build my home to live in a warehouse industrial park," Olds said.
Another resident, Ken Trapp, asked council members how they would feel about the proposal if they were impacted personally.
"I’d like to have the council members take into account if their homes were in Homecoming; would they want this rezoning? I’m sure they wouldn’t," Trapp said.
The residents were also concerned about additional fuel pollution that might come from the added semi trucks traveling to and from the area.
"We elected you guys to protect our interests, our health and our safety," resident Mike Reid said. "To vote for this rezoning, is to vote against everything you stand for as a part of the government of Greenwood."
GLA has been down this road before. Last summer, the developer tried to rezone the same land to build a warehouse. That time, it was turned down.
This time, the developer met with residents before the council meeting to address some of their concerns, Tuohy said. Twelve-foot berms will be built into the landscape around the property to serve as sound barriers, and make the area look nicer, he said.
Additionally, the developer plans to have the development sit back at least 120 feet from the homes along the back side of the subdivision, Tuohy said. The truck entrance to a potential site would also line up with Tracie Way, the farthest it can be from the residential area, he said.
Road improvements were also promised by the developer, as it plans to mill, overlay and resurface Graham Road between Allen Road and Main Street, Tuohy said. There are also plans to expand Graham Road to accommodate more traffic, he said.
