Indianapolis-based i3 Investors wants to develop a speculative distribution/logistics facility of about 562,000 square feet at the northeast corner of Interstate 70 and CR 500W in Hancock County.
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HANCOCK COUNTY – Planning authorities sent a rezone request for a contentious warehouse proposal to county decision-makers without any guidance.
Indianapolis-based i3 Investors is asking Hancock County officials to rezone 40.5 acres of farmland at the northeast corner of Interstate 70 and CR 500W from an agricultural zoning designation to one called industrial business park. That would allow the firm to develop a speculative distribution/logistics facility of about 562,000 square feet.
The company also wants to develop warehouses on land directly to the west, which is already zoned for that purpose.
The Hancock County Area Plan Commission first considered i3 Investors’ request in May but continued the matter to its June meeting. Commission members wanted insight from county engineer Gary Pool to determine what kind of road improvements would be needed in the area to accommodate the proposed project.
Pool has since indicated several requirements should the development move forward, which i3 Investors agreed to. Among the requirements are reconstructing CR 500W to two 15-foot-wide travel lanes with 2-foot shoulders and adding a traffic circle to the road’s intersection with CR 300N.
Bill Bolander, a plan commission member, moved to send the rezone to the Hancock County Board of Commissioners with a favorable recommendation. But the motion failed after the commission voted it down 4-3, with Tyler Edon, Wendell Hester, Renee Oldham and Bill Spalding voting against and Bolander, Byron Holden and Michael Long voting for.
Spalding, who’s also a county commissioner, then moved to give the rezone no recommendation. That passed 4-3, with Spalding, Edon, Hester and Oldham voting yes and Bolander, Holden and Long voting no.
“It’s an option to get it moved, because one way or another it’s got to go to the board of commissioners,” Spalding told the Daily Reporter.
He is not yet sure how he’ll vote on the rezone as a commissioner.
“I think a lot of it depends on what our discussion is when they come back before the board of commissioners and if they are agreeable to have discussions with the (county) council about (tax) abatement conditions,” Spalding said. “That will determine the way I view the project.”
At the plan commission’s May meeting, Spalding also expressed qualms over the lower-paying jobs speculative warehouses often create.
Robert Anderson, a lawyer with Faegre Drinker Biddle & Reath’s Indianapolis office representing i3 Investors, said at the June meeting that such concerns are often difficult to alleviate.
“We can’t guarantee who’s going to lease the space,” Anderson said. “These are companies that don’t lease until the building’s completed because they want to get their eyes on it, they want to make sure the space works for them. … There may be some $15-to-$20-an-hour jobs … But there are going to be management jobs, middle-management and upper-management jobs that are going to be coming to Hancock County as well by adding a project like this.”
He also said the development would be a significant increase to the county’s tax base.
The proposal remains unpopular among residents who live near the site.
Mike Dale, executive director of the county plan commission, noted he received remonstrance in the form of 12 emails, two letters, a video and petitions totaling over 600 signatures.
Several residents voiced their opposition at the recent plan commission meeting. Objections included disruptions to the area’s once rural way of life, claims of an overabundance of warehouses in the area already, risks from the volatile economy, workforce challenges and potential impacts to Arnett Cemetery near the northeast corner of CR 300N and 500W.
Patsy Kuhns said she’s lived in the area for over 50 years.
“When somebody asks us where we live, I tell them cement city,” she said. “Just go to Mt. Comfort and go west or east – cement city. I’m not for it. I think we have enough.”
Walter Mitten lives in a nearby unincorporated community.
“The traffic out there is unreal,” he said. “It’s just total change. I’ve been in Mohawk my whole life, and I used to cross the street and not even pay attention to the road, let alone the traffic, and now you’ve got to look I don’t know how many times to cross.”
Chip Barnes, a principal of i3 Investors, countered claims that warehouses are sitting empty in Hancock County. It takes about nine to 12 months to develop such a building, he said. He added that when a building gets leased, there’s often no activity for several months because the tenant is up-fitting the interior to meet their needs.
Jenny Dunn, representing the family that owns the acreage i3 Investors is eyeing, spoke at the recent plan commission meeting too.
“Since we are residents of Hancock County, we’d like to have some control over what comes in here as well,” she said.
Dale said the county board of commissioners will likely consider the rezone on Tuesday, July 19. Meetings are at 8 a.m. in the Hancock County Annex, 111 American Legion Place. Agendas are posted on hancockcoingov.org.
