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The Noblesville City Council is scheduled to vote Tuesday night on a contentious rezoning plan for a proposed 175-acre residential and commercial development along Morse Reservoir.
Indianapolis-based developer LOR Corp. wants to build the $250 million Morse Village on the city’s northwest side at the intersection of East 206th Street and Hague Road.
The plan has drawn criticism from nearby residents who oppose rezoning the property, particularly on the west side of the site nearest an established neighborhood and in proximity to a bald eagle nest. Mayor Chris Jensen released a statement Monday that said city officials have received threats about the proposed Morse Village project.
Plans for Morse Village call for 240 high-end single-family houses, 185 town houses and condominiums and 250 to 300 multifamily flats. Morse Village would also feature 30,000 square feet of retail space and restaurants, plus a new roundabout at the intersection of 206th and Hague.
The development would have three hubs: North Pointe, South Pointe and West Pointe.
North Pointe would feature 250 to 300 multifamily flats, 50 for-sale town houses, 40 single-family houses and 30,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space.
South Pointe would have about 200 single-family houses ranging from $400,000 to $1 million, green space, a clubhouse, trails, pickleball courts and a bald eagle preservation area called Eagle Park.
And West Pointe would be the site of 135 for-sale town houses and condominiums, as well as preserved landscape areas. Town houses would range from two to four stories with the shortest buildings constructed on the north side of the area nearest the neighboring subdivision. The condominiums would be four stories tall with three floors of living spac above ground-level parking.
LOR Vice President of Development Phil Sundling told council members on Dec. 3 that Morse Village would take seven to 10 years to fully develop. South Pointe would be developed first, while North Pointe and West Pointe would follow. LOR Corp. is led by CEO Adam Hill.
Jensen said at the Dec. 3 City Council meeting that several developers have proposed projects at the Morse Village site, but none fit how the city wants the area to be developed. Jensen originally announced plans for Morse Village at his State of the City address in September.
The development would be built on agricultural land near the Morse Lake Marina, Morse Park & Beach, Harbour Trees Golf and Beach Club, and Wolfies Grill Noblesville.
Morse Reservoir opened in 1956 after Cicero Creek was dammed near East 196th Street in Noblesville.
The 1,500-acre reservoir is owned by Indianapolis-based Citizens Energy Group and has a shoreline of 32 miles where development of high-end housing and golf courses began in the 1970s.
Resident concerns
Some residents who live near the Morse Village site have expressed opposition to LOR’s plans and are concerned about how the development would impact a family of bald eagles who live on the property, wetlands, water availability in the area, property values and the expanded number of residents.
More than 800 people have signed a petition calling for the city to reject the zoning change request, and about 20 people spoke against the development at the City Council’s meeting on Dec. 3. Signs in the neighborhoods around the area read “Save the Eagles” and “Stop the Rezoning of West Pointe in Morse Village.”
Jami Ross, who lives adjacent to West Pointe, said residents do not necessarily oppose single-family houses, but they do not want condominiums and town houses constructed.
“We’ve got people that are on fixed income, that moved here from Fishers and other areas, such as Connecticut, and this was supposed to be their like last stop,” Ross said. “So changing zoning, it’s a horrible thing as it pertains to us.”
Residents worry that town houses at West Pointe would lower home values of people living nearby.
“I don’t know when it would ever be anything but a decrease,” said Lynette Jones, a nearby resident who has worked as a real estate appraiser for more than 30 years. “It would be a negative dollar adjustment.”
LOR commissioned a 96-page study by Indianapolis-based Integra Realty Resources that determined the West Pointe area would not negatively impact current values, future value increases and future assessments for adjacent homes. The study’s authors used Noblesville city records and figures from Zillow in their research.
Ross said potentially losing the bald eagles is a significant worry for many residents. She said the area also has other wildlife, such as owls, egrets, foxes, coyotes, skunks, opossums and turtles, that she fears would lose their habitat.
“It’s a huge source of pride on the lake for residents that we have these bald eagles that live on our reservoir now that are just kind of zipping around. They’re in my backyard. They fly over the lake,” she said. “[My dog and I are] out on that trail every darn day, and I see the eagles. It’s majestic.”
According to documents submitted to the city, LOR received a permit from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service to build within 330 feet of the bald eagle nest outside breeding season. The permit says the developer should start construction within 660 feet of the nest as late in the breeding season as possible to avoid the time of year when eagles are most susceptible to disturbance.
The area around the Morse Village site has 4.4 acres of wetlands. Sundling told council members this month that 3.9 acres would be preserved, and the developer would mitigate the loss of the half-acre of wetlands.
Worries about rhetoric
On Monday, Jensen released a statement condemning threats made to city officials about the Morse Village project.
Jensen said the Noblesville Police Department is “actively responding to address them as appropriate.”
“It is concerning and disappointing that some individuals who have strong opinions on this matter have lowered themselves to the level of threatening physical violence,” he said. “We respect opinions and perspectives on all sides of public issues, and I have consistently said and demonstrated through my actions that constructive voices will always have a seat at the table for input and adjustments. The citizens’ voice in all public policy matters is paramount.
“However, no public official or public employee should ever have to live under the threat of retaliation for doing their jobs to the best of their abilities. I commend the many residents who have conducted themselves honorably and respectfully on this matter and call on everyone to engage with civility and mutual respect.”
In October, City Council members voted 6-0 to approve an economic development agreement with LOR in which the city pledged to provide $13.3 million in developer-backed tax-increment financing bonds for the Morse Village project.
The Noblesville Plan Commission voted 10-0 in November to recommend the change in zoning.
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Not in my backyard!!!