A new plan for developing land north and west of the Taylorsville Speedway gas station will be up for a final vote Monday during the weekly meeting of the Bartholomew County Commissioners.
Two parcels that total 48-acres next to Interstate 65, located east of the intersection of Bear Lane and Hubler Drive, is currently zoned for multi-family residential purposes. However, co-land owner Rick Snyder is asking that the land be rezoned for light industrial use.
Examples of this type of zoning include, but are not limited to:
- Small scale construction shops
- Factories making food products and other fast-moving consumer goods
- Solar energy facilities
- Electronics factories
Activities on land zoned for light industrial use are generally more consumer-focused than heavy industry. They do not emit polluting sounds, odors or materials.
The property that Snyder wants to rezone is now being used for agricultural purposes, according to a plan commission staff report. Hubler Drive borders the property to the west, County Road 700N to the north, and the railroad tracks roughly make up the eastern edge. If the proposal is approved, Snyder plans to redraw the line that separates the two parcels, the report states.
While Commissioner Larry Kleinhenz says he has talked with at least one of the individuals interested in developing the property, local officials prefer to let the company identify themselves after the land purchase or lease is finalized. In Bartholomew County, the company reveals itself when they go before the Bartholomew County Council to seek tax abatements or other considerations.
Although the rezoning request is for light industrial uses, Kleinhenz said he would not rule out the possibility of multi-family housing on a portion of the property.
However, Kleinhenz recalled two times in the past when development of this same property looked imminent – only for plans to fall apart.
“Two years ago, we were having a big discussion about a big housing project,” Kleinhenz said. “Five years before that, we were talking about bonding for a combo project (that included) hotels, restaurants and apartment complexes.”
During its Sept. 13 meeting, the Bartholomew County Plan Commission expressed a willingness to give Snyder’s rezoning proposal a favorable recommendation, but only if current or future owners made specific commitments. For the most part, these commitments address infrastructure deficiencies, city/county planning director Jeff Bergman said.
One of the most significant concerns regard the nearby wells owned by Eastern Bartholomew Water Corp., which serves more than 5,000 customers in south central Indiana. The utility wants assurances that any commercial development east of Hubler Drive does not cause well contamination.
The county also wants a buffer between potential industrial development and residential areas of Taylorsville southeast of the site, Bergman said. At the same time, the commission is asking that an 8-foot wide asphalt pedestrian and bicycle path be created from Mill Street on Taylorsville’s north side to the Speedway and Burger King restaurant.
Kleinhenz said he is not generally in favor of tax-funded paths because the county will have to keep paying indefinitely for their maintainence.
“Kids are already using their bikes to get to Speedway,” Bergman said in response. “This is a safer alternative to whatever they are doing now.
Kleinhenz said he will keep his options open until there’s a buyer and their needs are revealed. For example, the commissioner said he would support construction of a developer-financed sidewalk on the east side of Hubler Drive, but only if multi-family housing is constructed.
In their staff report, county planners say they don’t want to create a new street for vehicles from Bear Lane to Mill Street, First Street or Third Street. Their concern is to keep a larger number of vehicles, as well as industrial trucks, from going through Taylorsville’s residential areas.
Other commitments include improvements to the railroad crossing, as well as extending County Road 700N across the entire northern frontage of the property.
