GREENFIELD — Two apartment complex projects are moving forward with plans to break ground in Greenfield next year.
City planners said housing options for several income levels are needed in the Greenfield area, which hasn’t seen new apartments since 2012.
Accolade Apartments
Developers of Accolade Apartments, a 240-apartment complex located in Progress Park, will go before the Greenfield Plan Commission at 7 p.m. Nov. 13, where they will present detailed plans to the seven-member board, said zoning administrator Joanie Fitzwater.
The Justus Companies, an Indianapolis developer, received preliminary approvals from the city to build in the business park in February, with city planners agreeing to rezone the land so the apartments can be built.
The complex is planned to be built in Progress Park between east County Road 300N and Opportunity Parkway, off State Road 9. Elanco, which consists of five buildings, will be the complex’s neighbor.
The complex will consist of 14 two- and three-story apartment buildings featuring one-, two- and three-bedroom apartments plus a 4,000-square-foot clubhouse with a pool, lounge, fitness center, kitchen and entertainment, business and conference space, said Justus vice president Suzanne Thompson in a news release.
The apartments are expected to have features including hardwood flooring, large closets and garages, Thompson said.
Justus Companies recently built Woodland Terrace, a senior living community, in New Palestine and Thompson said the space has quickly filled.
“We believe there is demand for new, high-quality housing in Hancock County and believe Accolade will achieve similar success,” said Walt Justus, president of the Justus Companies, in a news release.
Planners expect to break ground in early 2018, with the construction phase expected to last 18 to 24 months, Thompson said.
Broadway Flats Apartments
Keller Development first revealed in late 2016 its proposal to build an $8.4 million income-based 54-unit complex at the site of the Center Street Shoppes. The buildings that make up what once was a bustling colony of shops two blocks south of Main Street have since been demolished to make way for an approximately 2.9-acre affordable housing community targeting artists and entrepreneurs — such as architects, musicians, writers or photographers, officials said.
The income restrictions on the complex means renters must earn 60 percent below the area median income — or no more than about $33,600 annually, said Dawn Gallaway, president of Keller Development, based in Fort Wayne.
The site will boast two two-story buildings with 38 two-bedroom and 16 one-bedroom apartments. Rent is expected to fall between $325 and $625 per month. Construction on the apartment complex is expected to begin in March 2018, Gallaway said.
Keller Development in February was awarded more than half a million dollars in federal tax credits to aid in the construction of the affordable housing complex.
The Low-Income Housing Tax Credit is a federally funded, competitive program that provides tax breaks to developers as incentives for offering lower rent for low-income earners.
Fitzwater anticipates the Broadway Flats apartments will work to connect downtown Greenfield to the surrounding neighborhood, she said. Walking and biking trails including the Pennsy Trail, which runs parallel to U.S. 40, will help create an active lifestyle for residents, she said.
“People will be able to go back and forth from home to work easily on the trails, which may generate more downtown shops,” Fitzwater said. “We hope to continue establishing housing along the Pennsy Trail in the future, and that will help with the dynamics of downtown.”
