Plans for a combination multi-family residential and commercial development near one of the front doors into Bartholomew County moved forward this week.
The Bartholomew County Commissioners on Monday passed the second reading of an ordinance to establish zoning changes on three parcels totaling just under 32 acres on the south side of Tannehill Road and County Road 650N, about 400 feet west of U.S. 31 in German Township.
The commissioners approved the rezonings on first reading in September, where much of the conversation centered on addressing stormwater and drainage issues.
A new concept plan developed since then shows that water detention capacity on the property has essentially tripled with additional detention ponds, although it will force the developer to lose more than 100 previously planned housing units.
The applicant, Tulsidas Narsinghani, sought to rezone .59 acres from Residential: Multi-Family (RM) to Commercial: Regional (CR); 22.5 acres from Agriculture: General (AG) to RM; and 8.5 acres from AG to CR.
Narsinghani initially indicated that he planned to develop the southern two-thirds of the property for between 370 to 400 market-rate units, but said with the improved water detention capacity on site they are now down to approximately 270 to 300 units. The northern third will be for commercial development, such as offices and retail spaces.
However, the commissioners said there is “a semblance of a ditch” on the southeast corner of the site that the group is intending to petition the county drainage board to make it a mutual drain. If that were to happen, it could potentially reduce the size of planned retention ponds on the property, allowing the developer to add back residential space they carved out.
Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz, R-District 1, said if the petition is successful, the county would build out the drain with its own funds. After that, “there would at some point be a tax assessed with the properties (sharing the drain), where each individual lot and development would pay into the drain to maintain that legal drain,” Kleinhenz said.
An early-stages conceptual land use plan of the site in September showed a combination of town homes and three-story apartment buildings, with three buildings for commercial use to the north. The multi-family portion showed a clubhouse and pool, dog park, and a couple of pickleball courts.
The Bartholomew County Plan Commission during its meeting on Sept. 10 put forward a unanimously favorable recommendation to the commissioners on the request after it was continued in March and June.
The favorable recommendation came with four commitments, including that the future development include a pedestrian system, that public right-of-way be dedicated along County Road 650N and that a Type A buffer, the most robust type of buffer, be instituted along the entire eastern property line. The last commitment was regarding four traffic changes that came out of a traffic study the applicant conducted, including the widening of Tannehill Road and new a left turn lane at U.S. 31 and Larae Avenue.
The next step for the applicant will be to submit a subdivision preliminary plat for the property, which would be reviewed by the county plan commission. If approved, construction plan will be developed, including specifications for stormwater systems. The final step will be consideration of approval of a subdivision improvement agreement by the commissioners.
Jeff Colvin, of Colvin Builders, said that Narsinghani is planning to invest anywhere between $20 and $30 million into the project.
