HANCOCK COUNTY — A developer plans to grow a neighborhood between New Palestine and Gem by almost 60 homes.
Greenfield-based GSM Development, LLC is pursuing the development on about 21 acres east of County Road 500W and north of County Road 200S. The site is just north of and would connect to the Centennial Commons and Centennial Village neighborhoods. A road would also connect to 500W. The development would consist of single-family, one-story houses on 59 lots with exteriors at least 85% brick. A multi-use trail would also go along the east side of 500W.
Harold Gibson of Greenfield-based H. Gibson Land Surveying, Inc., representing GSM Development, said at a recent meeting of the Hancock County Board of Zoning Appeals that GSM is motivated to pursue the project due to what he described as a growing empty-nester market.
“In Indiana, empty-nesters aren’t new,” Gibson said. “We know that kids have been flying the coop for many, many years, leaving parents alone… What has changed is that adults now are more active more than ever before, and because of that we now see a change in the needs of those empty-nesters.”
They’re looking for a quality product with little upkeep, he continued.
The board of zoning appeals granted variances from county rules that GSM Development sought for its undertaking, including reducing a minimum 72-foot lot width requirement to 70 feet; reducing a 10,000-square-foot lot area requirement to 8,400 square feet; and reducing a minimum 7½-foot side-yard setback to 5 feet — meaning a distance of 10 feet between homes instead of 15.
The proposed development’s density is 2.8 dwelling units per acre, slightly more than the 2.5 the county’s comprehensive plan envisions for the area.
Several residents near the proposed development spoke in opposition at the board of zoning appeals meeting and expressed concerns about that density as well as drainage issues in the area.
Darlene Trusty, who lives in Centennial Commons, said the plans call for too many houses that are too close together. She feels it would negatively impact her home’s value.
“I’m just going to be seeing a lot more houses than I care to, and I do feel like the value will decrease because you’re cramming in more homes,” she told board of zoning appeals members.
David Martin, who lives in the Lantern Woods neighborhood immediately north of the proposed development, shared concerns about density as well.
“I don’t want them piled on top of each other,” he said of the proposed homes. “It’s bad enough to have them all in the backyard. The way it’s going right now, I’ll have like three homes right behind my backyard.”
Gibson said many existing Centennial lots are 60 feet wide — 10 feet narrower than the variance GSM Development was seeking. The reason the company wants 70 feet, he continued, is to offer three-car garages. Many existing Centennial lots have side yards 5 feet wide or less as well, he added.
Gibson also said the existing pond on Centennial Commons’ north side was built big enough to handle drainage from the new development proposed to its north.
The board of zoning appeals passed the variances 3-1, with Brad Armstrong, Dee Carmichael and Merle McRoberts voting in favor and Michael Long opposing.
Long’s ballots for the variances indicate he disagreed with the notion that the county’s zoning ordinance results in practical difficulties in the use of the property — a criterion board members consider when weighing a variance.
Mike Dale, executive director of the Hancock County Area Plan Commission, recommended against the variances and said a rezone would’ve been more appropriate for GSM Development to accomplish what it was after.
The Hancock County Area Plan Commission voted 6-0 May 26 on a positive recommendation to the Hancock County Commissioners to approve amendments to a zoning commitment for the land slated for the development. Many of the changes altered directives that guided the developments of the Centennial neighborhoods to the south, like having two-family dwellings and reducing lot width requirements from 90 feet to 70 feet.
GSM Development seeks two more variances from the county’s zoning rules that the board of zoning appeals plans to address at a future meeting. They include exceeding a maximum block length from 500 feet to 800 feet and waiving a requirement for having a professionally managed homeowners association. Gibson said GSM Development has struck an agreement with Centennial’s existing homeowners association. He added while it’s not professionally managed, it’s done an exemplary job with the neighborhood as it currently stands and believes it will continue to do so as it expands.
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Centennial neighborhood expanding
- East of County Road 500W, north of 200S
- 59 lots
- 21 acres
- Single family
- One story
- Multi-use trail along east side of 500W
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