By Christine Fernando
The Zionsville Plan Commission voted July 17 to give developers a chance to refine details for a rezoning request for 13 acres to allow the construction of a new residential area. The commission granted the continuance until Aug. 21 to allow developers more time to hear from the public and make design changes required by the fire department.
The site at 410 S. 4th St. and 500 S. Main St., which is near the Village, is home to a trailer park known as The Cove or Zionsville Trailer Park.
MAP 1861 Development, LLC has requested a rezoning from residential village to planned unit development. The proposed concept includes 24 detached homes of two or three stories. The homes, which are expected to sell for $400,000 to $500,000, would be at least six feet apart and no more than 40 feet in height.
Developers said the homes would embrace open space, outdoor living with large decks and ample greenspace, all aimed at empty-nesters and older couples. Possible trail connections to the Village area and Zionsville Rail Trail would increase walkability.
Developers said that less than 25 percent of the 13 acres would be built on, in part to create a buffer between homes and areas that are prone to flooding. Another reason is to preserve 10 acres of greenspace, including a large pond and wooded areas.
The preservation of greenspace and solution to concerns about density problems if the entire acreage were to be developed is why John Tousley, a Zionsville Village Residents Association member and Zionsville resident since 1978, said he supports the plan.
“There’s a general feeling that this project makes sense,” Tousley said. “It’s good for the neighborhood.”
Tousley said he has been impressed by how the developers have worked with residents of the Village.
“These are our neighbors,” he said. “They’ve done a great job. They’ve communicated with us.”
Commissioner Mary Grabianowski had some concerns about the plan. Although developers said the trailer park is failing, there are still eight trailers and one home on the site.
Grabianowski said she personally knows some of the trailer park residents and is concerned about where they would move when construction begins, especially with the lack of affordable housing in Zionsville.
Developers assured her that residents would receive a 120-day notice if the plan is approved, that they had notified residents that change was coming and that they are working closely with residents.
Commissioner Larry Jones raised concerns about the site plan, which he said did not include clear dimensions.
“The information in here is really substandard, kind of vague, kind of incomplete,” Jones said.
He said he also expected there would not be enough space to get fire trucks into the area or have cars park on the curb. A lack of amenities and accessibility to neighboring roads would also pose a problem, he said.
In all, Jones said the plan did not measure up to what he considers a Zionsville-type property.
“I don’t like this thing from top to bottom in terms of the information we’ve been given,” he said.
Developers said they would use the extended time until Aug. 21 to add dimensions and more details to the site plan.