FORTVILLE — A home builder is weighing its options after Hancock County officials rejected its plan for a Fortville housing development that opponents say would be too densely built.
The Hancock County Area Plan Commission voted 5-3 earlier this week against a plat on almost 114 acres at about 8700 N. Fortville Pike, east of County Road 200W. Paragon Realty and Westport Homes, recently bought by DR Horton, proposed bringing 242 lots to part of Fortville’s recently annexed south side.
The development is one of two subdivisions Fortville officials have been discussing over the past several months that could bring almost 500 home sites to the growing town. The plan commission late last year approved a 250-lot addition near Ohio and Merrill streets north of downtown.
Adam Zaklikowski, Fortville’s planning administrator, said at the commission’s meeting that the proposed project’s density was 2.12 dwelling units per acre. That’s under the maximum of 2.3 dwelling units per acre that Fortville Town Council approved last December as part of the planned unit development standards for the project, he said.
The plat has about 42 acres of open space, Zaklikowski said, including a large grassy area for recreation and wetlands. A park and asphalt paths were also part of the proposal.
John Jessup, a plan commission member, said the plat’s housing density rises well above the established maximum when the open space is not considered. He said while including the open space in the density calculation allows the plat to fall within the threshold outlined in the planned unit development, doing so does not meet the intent of that standard.
Lacey Willard, a plan commission member, moved to approve the plat due to its compliance with the planned unit development standards that the Fortville Town Council approved.
Commission members Bill Bolander, Dan Cameron, Wendell Hester, Byron Holden and Jessup voted against the motion while Michael Long, Tom Nigh and Willard voted in favor. Dan Craig was not present.
Gregg Morelock, the commission’s attorney, told the Daily Reporter that the developers can change their plan and resubmit it, appeal the commission’s decision by filing a lawsuit or let the decision stand and do nothing.
Matt Dunn, Westport Homes division president, told the Daily Reporter that the company was disappointed with the outcome of the plan commission vote and that it is consulting with attorneys, advisers and engineers to determine the best course of action. He added the company remains optimistic it can make the project work.
Before the plan commission’s vote, several residents who live near the proposed development voiced their opposition. Many expressed concerns over the plat’s housing density, like Tom Kirby, who had a stance similar to Jessup’s on using the open space to impact the density ratio.
“Because of the wetland down in the southwest corner, you cannot build on all of this property, and yet they’re using all the acreage to quote their size,” Kirby said.
Christine Edwards, who lives right next to the proposed development with her husband, Shawn Edwards, said they recently discovered stakes in the ground in spots they have always believed to be part of their property without any word from whomever placed them there.
After the meeting, the Edwardses said they were pleased with the commission’s decision. They said their Italianate home is very different from the modern houses being proposed for the area and fear their property value would plummet should the development ever come to fruition.
The couple also questioned why a developer would ever want to bring homes so close to a wetland, where residents would have to share their neighborhood with an abundance of mosquitoes.
