Civility was the rule at Noblesville Council meeting on Morse Village

The Tuesday, Dec. 3 meeting of the Noblesville Common Council was both well-attended and exceptionally civil. That last part is of note considering a presentation with public comment for the proposed Morse Village development was on the agenda.

The public comments allowed at the Common Council meeting were an opportunity for those who did not get the chance to speak at the earlier Noblesville Plan Commission meeting to go on the record about Morse Village.

There were several changes to the project plan since the last Plan Commission meeting in November, all of which were highlighted Tuesday evening.

According to Council President Darren Peterson, there will likely be an opportunity for the public to speak again at the upcoming Dec. 17 Common Council meeting, which is when a vote of the project is expected to take place.

The ordinances

At issue were ordinances 72-11-24 and 73-11-24, changes in zoning from single-family residential areas to a mix of single-family residential, multi-family residential, and planned business zoning for the 173 acres of the Morse Village project near Hague Road and 206^th Street.

The text of those ordinances is available at these links: 72-11-34 and 73-11-24.

Before discussing any of the project details, Mayor Chris Jensen thanked Peterson for using a non-traditional two-meeting setting so more citizens would have the chance to be heard.

Talking with citizens

Jensen said he has visited the homes of concerned citizens and met with the public in other venues over this project in recent weeks.

“I want to acknowledge the many people that are here tonight in public, the many people who are tuning in online, the several people who reached out to me,” Jensen said. “I’ve answered every email, every phone call, every text message, every Facebook message personally. I have had the chance last week to spend nearly two hours in a home on Edgewater Drive … to discuss and to listen and to learn about the perspective of neighbors. Just yesterday, myself as well as Councilor Thurston and Councilor Davis spent several hours at Harbor Trees as well, listening, learning, understanding the perspective of neighbors and residents in and around that area. I continue to listen and learn, our staff continues to do so, and I know you as city councilors continue to listen and learn as well.”

LOR’s explanation

Near the beginning of his presentation, LOR Corporation CEO Adam Hill said, “I know there’s been a lot of misleading information going around the community, which is certainly unfortunate. However, I want to talk through in detail this evening, more accurate information, which should dispel many of the myths that are circulating.”

According to Hill, West Pointe is roughly 23 acres, currently zoned R1 and will be rezoned R5.

“Despite the misinformation being represented by the remonstrants group, the comprehensive plan denotes three different land uses for this property, including residential, mixed residential, and neighborhood commercial,” Hill said. “What we are planning here on West Pointe aligns perfectly with what is contemplated in the comprehensive plan and as noted in the city staff report. West Pointe will include roughly 135 units, including townhomes ranging from two to four stories, along with condo units. This is very contrary to the petition that is circulating, which states 300 units on this property. And as Mayor mentioned, we are fully committed to reducing the heights of the condo buildings down a full floor to three stories livable over ground level parking for a total of four stories, which are noted here in blue. Additionally, as the Mayor mentioned, we’ve worked with neighbors to the north and we’ve agreed to reduce the northernmost townhomes, as you can see here in yellow, to two stories max.”

Hill spoke about why LOR believes exclusively building single-family homes is not a good fit for this development.

“First, we are designing this community to be higher end,” Hill said. “In order to achieve higher end, certain components are necessities, one of which is capturing views. Rear yard living is a critical component, and the 13-foot earthen levy restricts the ability to get views from the site without going vertical. Verticality is the primary reason townhomes and condos are such a better fit for this piece of ground.”

Hill addressed several other topics in detail, including: the impact on existing home values in the area (according to LOR and their consultants, adjacent homes will increase in value at a rate higher than the Hamilton County average); the density of resident population after the development is complete; parking issues; traffic concerns; the decrease in wetlands acreage (LOR says they will preserve 89 percent of the existing wetlands and mitigate that by adding additional wetlands elsewhere in excess of what they remove for Morse Village – they did not specify exactly where those new mitigation wetlands would be located); water supply; and the bald eagles nesting in the area.

Public comments

After LOR Corporation’s 30 minutes presentation detailing the project and the new changes that came as result of community feedback, the meeting was opened to public comments.

Public comments were far too numerous to go over in detail, but we are highlighting a few and providing a link to the video of the meeting at the end of this article.

Two attorneys from Paganelli Law Group spoke of concerns about the sustainability of existing businesses in the area and the long-term effects on residents already living nearby, as well as the concerns about the long-term survival of nearby Harbour Trees Golf and Beach Club in light of the increased water usage that will be required.

Harbour Trees has wells providing millions of gallons of water per year for business operations. Both a Paganelli attorney and Harbour Trees owner Andy Gigante spoke about how any impact on the existing water table could damage the golf club.

“I played golf with [American golf course designer] Pete Dye,” Gigante said. “This is one of his original works. It’s like a work of art to golfers and to the golf community. We’ve had Golf Digest out to look at it. The commitment I made to him is that I would be the best steward possible, and so I have to represent it as passionately as possible … My fear is that several years from now, we might be in a situation where I cannot keep those promises to the members, the community, and to Pete Dye.”

It was also noted that Harbour Trees currently has a waiting list for new members that is two years long, so new residents to this development are not likely to get a membership until long after they have moved in.

Lynette Jones, a local appraiser, said there is more available housing in Hamilton County than is necessary now.

“There is a disconnect between policymakers, housing, aspirations and market realities,” Jones said. “Data tells a different story. I do listings … Currently in Hamilton County – October/November of 2024 – there are 630 to 700 listings daily. There is no shortage of listings in Hamilton County.”

James Moore said he spent 27 years representing another county’s planning commission.

“Zoning and planning is something I’m familiar with,” Moore said. “And good planning is essential to beneficial growth in your community. Uses need to be harmonious and complementary. The transition from uses should not be stark and abrupt, but they should be more gentle. And what we have in West Pointe is a very stark and abrupt change … And quite frankly, in planning, that’s not something you work for. You work to avoid it.”

Deb Polise is a Hamilton County realtor who said she has been working in the industry for two decades.

“I have witnessed many developments, both successful and harmful,” Polise said. “Based on my experience, I can say with complete certainty that rezoning this property in the West Pointe with townhomes, even three stories high, is going to damage the beauty and character and natural resources of this land and surrounding neighborhoods. Three-story townhomes are one of our worst products on the market, okay? You probably don’t know that because you don’t sell them. But I can’t remember the last time I sold a three-story townhome. People don’t want the stairs. They do not.”

Polise also stressed the obligation of the city to its current residents first.

After public comments, Mayor Jensen and LOR Corporation officials were given time to respond. Several members of the Common Council also asked their own questions and asked that they be addressed before a vote is taken at the next meeting, which is scheduled for Dec. 17 at 7 p.m. A vote on these two ordinances is expected to take place at that meeting.

See it yourself

For those readers who prefer to see the entire meeting for themselves in order to make their own judgments – which this newspaper encourages everyone to do – this link will take you to the portion of the meeting that deals specifically with Morse Village.

Thanks go out to our friends at Hamilton County Television for continuing to stream public meetings and help keep citizens informed.

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Jensen makes apology

There has been controversy about comments Mayor Chris Jensen made during a podcast on Election Day this year about Morse Village and other potential developments in Noblesville. During Tuesday’s meeting the Noblesville Common Council, Mayor Jensen read the following social media post into the public record:

Friends,

Anyone who knows me knows I strive to be as open and transparent as possible, sometimes to a fault. I hold myself to a high standard, and I expect others to do the same.

I also try to own any time I am wrong.

This month, I recorded a hour-long podcast with two local realtors. On the podcast, I attempted to highlight the importance of adding more housing options in Noblesville for those who wish to age in place and stay here. I said, “We need baby boomers to get out of their homes, so younger families can repopulate our neighborhoods.” I recognize and own that the statement in and of itself was offensive and insensitive. However, within context, my point was to say that by providing more housing options for empty nesters and the “55 and better” population, it allows them to stay in Noblesville, which is what we are striving for. The goal is to have options for all current members of our community, and to free up homes for new families, so that Noblesville both remains home to those already here and becomes home to the many families who seek to live in such a wonderful community.

Words matter, and my wording was poor. I apologize for that. Context also matters, and I hope that for those who are offended, you would take the time to listen and reflect on the entire message.

I apologize to anyone I offended. It wasn’t my goal in the least. I am human and made a mistake. I will work to be better next time. If anyone has any questions, please feel free to call me.

Note: Mayor Jensen’s cell phone number is (317) 509-3134. You can also reach him on social media and via email at cjensen@noblesville.in.gov. 

The full podcast in question is available on YouTube.