Whitestown council approves expansion of Homefield economic development area
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Summary
The Town of Whitestown approved a declaratory resolution expanding the Homefield Economic Development Area to include a strip along Indy Road and adjacent parcels tied to the REX property and the Solstice Apartments project; the expansion begins a formal review process including the planning commission.
The Town of Whitestown Town Council voted unanimously to approve a declaratory resolution expanding the Homefield Economic Development Area and allocation area to include additional parcels along Indy Road tied to the REX property and the nearby Solstice Apartments project.
The expansion, approved as Resolution 2025-10, adds a long right-of-way parcel along Indy Road and adjacent acreage to the previously established Homefield EDA to allow future tax-increment-financing (TIF) revenues from those areas to be captured for eligible infrastructure needs, council staff said.
Steph, a town staff member, described the maps submitted with the resolution and said the packet shows the original Homefield EDA, the proposed expansion area along Indy Road and the combined area that would result from adding Expansion Area 1. “This is the first step in the process,” Steph said, explaining the step will go to the planning commission for a finding of consistency with the comprehensive plan and then return to the council for a confirmatory hearing.
Matt Doublestein, a council member who is not voting on the measure, said he was concerned about how the legal test known as “but for” is applied in Indiana for TIF. “I don’t love how ‘but for’ is being used in Indiana for TIF,” Doublestein said, adding he was sharing an opinion as a nonvoting member.
Council members asked no technical questions during the discussion. After public discussion and the staff presentation, a council member moved to approve Resolution 2025-10 and another seconded the motion; the ayes were unanimous and there were no nays.
The council packet and staff comment indicate the expansion is intended to allow the town to use future TIF revenue from these parcels to help pay for infrastructure associated with development of the REX property and related projects. The planning commission’s consistency finding is required before the council’s confirmatory hearing can adopt the expansion formally.
No fiscal figures or a project financing timeline were presented during the discussion; staff said the planning commission review and subsequent council confirmatory hearing are the next procedural steps.
