By Janelle Morrison
After reviewing a request to rezone just more than 10 acres of undeveloped land owned by Christel DeHaan Investments LP, the Zionsville Plan Commission voted 4-3 against the project at it’s meeting on June 17.
The property, at the northeast corner of Michigan Road and 116th Street, is zoned as open land and will require rezoning before any development can take place.
Lebanon-based Witham Hospital wants to purchase the DeHann property and has proposed that a 30,000-square-square-foot medical office building be constructed on the eastern half of the property and that the western portion of the property be rezoned for neighborhood retail out lots.
The concern of the plan commission members was the absence of supporting documentation and insufficient data. Of particular interest to the commission was what would be developed on 5.89 of the 10.1 acres that would be rezoned as B – a designation that allows residences, businesses and offices to exist and operate in the same neighborhood.
“The plan commission had concerns about the land use,” said Wayne DeLong, director of planning and economic development for Zionsville. “The petitioner did not provide a site plan or supporting documentation for this type of request.”
With a lack of specifics about the proposed project, commission members felt they didn’t have enough information about the project to recommend that the Town Council rezone the property to allow retail uses.
The Town Council members have the final say and will take into consideration the plan commission’s unfavorable recommendation at its Town Hall meeting scheduled for July 1.