HANCOCK COUNTY — A developer wants to bring almost 230 homes to the southwestern corner of the county, but neighbors say they wouldn’t rise to the standards of the surrounding area.
D.R. Horton is proposing a single-family residential development of no more than 229 lots on 81 acres near the southeast corner of U.S. 52 and County Road 800W, northwest of Schildmeier Village.
The developer is asking the Hancock County Area Plan Commission to rezone the property to a planned unit development, which, if approved, would set specific standards for the development. The plan commission is scheduled to take up the matter at its meeting on Tuesday, Sept. 22.
D.R. Horton proposes having up to 189 of the development’s lots with minimum areas of 7,500 square feet, about half of what the property’s current residential zoning class calls for. For those lots, the developer is also seeking a minimum distance of 12 feet between houses, unlike the 30 feet currently required. If the planned unit development is approved, homes on those lots would also be able to be 25 feet from streets instead of 40.
The developer also proposes having up to 26 lots with minimum areas of 10,000 square feet and up to 14 lots at 11,250 square feet.
About 26 acres north of the site would maintain its current zoning to allow for commercial neighborhood developments, according to D.R. Horton’s filings with Hancock County’s planning department. The proposed neighborhood’s smaller lots would be in the northern part of the site, near that commercial neighborhood zoning, while larger lots would be in the southern part bordering existing homes. D.R. Horton’s letter of intent states that transition is consistent with the county’s comprehensive plan, which delineates a mixed-use corridor along U.S. 52 and calls for low-density suburban residential uses to the south of that corridor.
Bethany Carle of D.R. Horton told the Daily Reporter in an email that the homes are expected to range in price from the mid-$200,000s to the mid-$300,000s.
Deno Webb has been a resident of Schildmeier Village and president of its homeowners association for almost 20 years. He said he and many of his neighbors don’t oppose residential development in the area D.R. Horton is looking at and have been expecting it for a long time. However, they think whatever homes are built should match the standards to which their homes have been kept. Anything less, Webb said, would be akin to development across the line in Marion County.
“We know growth is coming, but we’re not wanting to be an extension of the east side,” he said, adding New Palestine and its surrounding area should maintain their own identity.
Webb also pointed out that the development would connect to Schildmeier Village at three different streets and that the neighborhood is already stressed with traffic while lacking sidewalks and lights.
Stephanie Lines, who has lived in Schildmeier Village for seven years, said she, too, understands growth is good and supports it. But new homes in the area should follow existing regulations, creating an environment of larger lots and fewer total houses, similar to the surrounding neighborhood.
Lines is a Realtor and said she has many clients from Franklin and Warren townships on Marion County’s east side who are looking to get away from the kind of developments D.R. Horton is pursuing near New Palestine.
Like Webb, she also has concerns about how the development proposes to connect to Schildmeier Village in three spots. Lines said adding up to 229 homes to an area without many streetlights and no sidewalks could be dangerous.
Jennifer Zacharias filed an email with the county planning department stating that she feels D.R. Horton’s proposal misses the mark.
“As it stands, it will come at the expense of longstanding, loyal residents and their quality of life for attracting lower-tax-paying new residents,” Zacharias wrote.
Jacobe Scott filed an email as well, stating the proposal would bring cheap housing that could result in crime to the area.
“Bring developers who will benefit our community by building on the same standard all of us had to meet to get out here to the suburb of New Pal,” Scott wrote.
A petition against the proposed development on change.org had more than 1,400 signatures early Friday.
The site is about two miles west of the Mt. Comfort Corridor, which has been drawing companies in the warehousing and logistics industries and is expected to continue doing so over the coming years. Hancock Health is building a large medical pavilion at the southern end of the corridor, at Mt. Comfort Road and U.S. 52, and plans to campaign to attract other businesses to the area as well.
The Urban Land Institute released a study on the corridor in 2019, part of which encourages a mix of housing types to attract a broader range of residents and talent for existing and future employers as well as a rising aging population. Planners say the county has a shortage of such housing.
“A successful Mt. Comfort Corridor is going to have to incorporate a wider variety of housing types,” the study states. “These could include smaller homes on smaller lots, attached homes, apartments, and mixed-use developments combining housing with retail or office. Demands exist for such housing types, but some planning and zoning requirements influence sales cost and hamper production.”
The Coalition for Smart Growth works to implement the vision behind the ULI study and is made up of NineStar Connect, Hancock Health and Greenfield Banking Co., along with the municipalities of Cumberland, McCordsville and New Palestine.
Ryan Crum, McCordsville’s director of planning and building, pointed out during a coalition presentation at a New Palestine Town Council meeting earlier this week that Hancock County is expected to see about a 26% population increase between 2020 and 2050. Households of residents age 65 and older are expected to grow by about 61%, he added.
“What that means to us is our existing housing stock today is not prepared for that demographic shift,” he told the council.
Christine Owens, Cumberland’s assistant town manager, said during the presentation that communities and unincorporated areas in western Hancock County are “getting bombarded with housing,” but that it lacks diversity. She added leaders need to take a close look at the kinds of jobs coming to the corridor and jobs they want to attract when considering housing types and locations.
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WHAT: Hancock County Area Plan Commission meeting
WHEN: 6:30 p.m. Tuesday, Sept. 22
WHERE: Hancock County Annex, 111 American Legion Place, Greenfield
WHY: The commission will consider a proposed housing development near U.S. 52 and County Road 800W.
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Fields at Sugar Creek
- Up to 229 single-family residential lots
- 81 acres
- Southeast corner of U.S. 52 and County Road 800W
The builder, D.R. Horton, was founded in 1978 in Fort Worth, Texas, and operates in 29 states and 88 markets. It is one of the country’s largest home builders. It entered the central Indiana market when it purchased Westport Homes in November 2018 for $190 million, according to a story in the Dallas Morning News.
In Hancock County, the company is building homes in the Sawmill development in Greenfield and in Stone Crossing in New Palestine.
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