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Dear Editor:
The Noblesville Common Council voted 7-2 at its meeting Tuesday to reject both the gravel pit and the townhomes rezoning ordinance proposals.
The citizen group Don’t Leave It to Beaver (DLITB) would like to thank the seven council members who rejected the proposal for representing the concerns of the community.
Common Council President Megan Wiles, who represents District 6, said in her closing comments before the vote that the location isn’t right for an industrial operation.
At-Large Councilman Darren Peterson had similar comments: “If you deny the gravel pit, it can still be a park. I can’t imagine how the peaceful enjoyment of this property is really worth the incremental gain of this parkland.”
The following Noblesville Common Council members voted to reject the gravel pit proposal:
- Brian Ayer, At-large
- Mark Boice, At-large
- Darren Peterson, At-large
- Pete Schwartz, District 2
- Aaron Smith, District 3
- Dan Spartz, District 4
- Megan Wiles, District 6
The following Noblesville Common Council members voted to support the project:
- Mike Davis, District 1
- Greg O’Connor, District 5
The community opposition to the gravel pit was always an uphill battle and an underdog story. Concerns ranged from the elevated risk of Hamilton County’s drinking water, to the ecological fallout to the White River area, to the bad precedent it would set for the city if a residential and flood hazard zone were re-zoned to allow industrial operations.
DLITB is thankful for the Noblesville and Hamilton County citizens who expressed and voiced their concerns in the chorus of opposition. We thank every person who wrote or spoke to their elected officials. We also thank the thousands of people who signed the paper and online petitions. Thank you to all who put up a yard sign and to all who educated their friends, neighbors, and family on the risks this project posed to our community.
We also extend our gratitude to the city officials who communicated with us and met with us to ensure the public was able to be as engaged as possible in the process. We hope that this victory inspires citizens to become more outspoken and involved in their government’s processes.
Now that the proposal has been rejected by the Council, the petitioners, Beaver Gravel and the Hamilton County Parks and Recreation Department, must wait one year before considering a resubmission of their proposal.
If they resubmit before time has elapsed, the proposal would need to have “established grounds warranting reconsideration of the merits of its application,” according to Article 4 Section 2 of the Noblesville Unified Development Ordinance. It would be up to Caleb Gutshall, the director of planning and development, to determine if the new application should be accepted or dismissed.
If the proposal is resubmitted in the future, Don’t Leave It to Beaver and the Noblesville community will be ready to oppose it in the absence of any new evidence.
Noblesville citizens will have the opportunity to decide if they will allow those Council representatives who ignored their concerns to represent them during the next primary in May 2023.
Don’t Leave It to Beaver supports the City of Noblesville in fulfilling its responsibility to provide for the welfare and safety of all neighborhoods, by engaging citizens to take an active role in assuring legislative compliance with purposeful ordinances that undergird the Comprehensive Master Plan.
Don’t Leave It to Beaver
Stop the Gravel Pit