Lisa Hoene doesn’t want to look out her windows and see apartment buildings.
She’s concerned with the kind of problems apartments sometimes bring to neighborhoods, from increased noise and traffic to more crime.
Knowing there is a need for more housing in Seymour, Hoene said she would rather see nice single-family homes built in the 500 block of South Fourth Street Road.
“It’s already zoned R-1 for houses. Let’s build houses there,” she said.
But that’s not what is being proposed for the 7.2 acres just down the road from her residence where the new Burkart Boulevard bypass is under construction.
On Monday, the Seymour City Council voted 6-0 to approve a request from Alpine Studios Indy to change the zoning from R-1 for single-family residential to R-2 for the construction of a multifamily apartment complex. The property is actually split into two parcels by the new road. Councilman Seth Davidson was absent from the meeting.
A final vote will be taken April 12. If approved, construction could begin this summer and take six to 10 months to complete, said attorney Bill Braman, who is representing Alpine Studios and property owner Robert P. VonDielingen.
Alpine Studios has developed numerous multifamily housing projects, primarily on the south side of Indianapolis.
Its petition received a favorable recommendation from the Seymour Plan Commission earlier this month.
Braman said the apartments are expected to be a mix of studio, one- and two-bedroom units and have an average monthly rental price of $800. A final site plan has not been submitted to the city, but preliminary drawings show multiple buildings with more than 200 apartments.
The development will not be subsidized housing and instead will fill a need in the city for workforce housing to help attract people to live and work in Seymour, Braman said.
Mayor Matt Nicholson said the apartments are just one type of housing needed in the city.
“We need housing across the board,” he said. “We need more units to put more people in.”
The 7.2 acres are not actually in city limits, but Braman said if the zoning change is approved, he said Alpine Studios will come back to the council to request it be annexed into the city.
Councilman Bret Cunningham, chairman of the planning and zoning committee, said he understands neighbors’ concerns but feels the development is in the best interest of the city as a whole.
“I think it’s a good opportunity at this price range,” he said.
Hoene said the value of her home already decreased by $40,000 because of construction of the new road, and she expects it will go down even more if the apartments are built.
Marcia Monroe has farm ground near the site and said her biggest concern is the increased stormwater runoff from the development that could negatively impact her family’s three properties.
“I’m not against what is being proposed, but I am against the idea that we have adequate drainage in this area,” she said. “We have got a lot more rain than what has been calibrated into the system’s calculations for the drainage of Seymour.”
Although concerned, Monroe said she wants to work with the city to improve drainage problems overall for her and for the rest of the area.
Braman said drainage, utilities and other infrastructure have been reviewed and the site is adequately served to permit a multifamily development without adversely affecting nearby properties.
Roger Smith, who also lives near the proposed apartments, said he isn’t against adding more housing in the city, but he thinks 200 apartments is too many for that area.
The increased number of vehicles will only add to what he describes as a traffic nightmare at the intersection of Tipton Street and Burkart Boulevard/South Fourth Street Road.
“I think the city should restrict the amount of apartments that can go in there,” he said.
The property is located in a federally qualified Opportunity Zone, which is designed to spur economic development and job creation in the area by providing tax incentives to developers.
“We believe this additional housing option will give local employers an additional tool to recruit qualified employees and therefore will promote economic development in the area,” Braman said.
Speaking in support of the project was Jim Plump, executive director of Jackson County Industrial Development Corp., which works to attract new businesses and industry to the area.
“Housing is a major, major challenge right now,” Plump said.
Although some local companies have put a pause on hiring due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Plump said it’s only temporary.
“They’re going to grow, and the opportunity to have workers locate and live in Seymour and Jackson County is obviously going to be reliant on them being able to find places to live,” he said.
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What: Seymour City Council meeting
When: 7 p.m. April 12
Where: Council chambers at Seymour City Hall, 301-309 N. Chestnut St.
On the agenda: Second reading of an ordinance to rezone property located in the 500 block of South Fourth Street Road
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