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Developer previews Gates of St. John residential phases; annexation agreement and EDA 4 remain controlling documents
Summary
LBL Development presented preliminary site plans for Gates of St. John Units 32–40, a multi‑phase, age‑restricted and townhome subdivision previously annexed under Economic Development Area 4. The plan commission will continue technical review before a public hearing in April.
At a March 5, 2025 Plan Commission study session, Steve Keogh, representing LBL Development, presented a preliminary site plan for Gates of St. John Units 32–40, a subdivision the developer says was approved as part of an earlier annexation and placed in Economic Development Area 4 (EDA 4).
Keogh said the project was “the subject of an annexation into the community and the subject of EDA 4, Economic Development Area 4,” and that a development agreement and ordinance previously approved by the Town Council set unit counts, setbacks and other standards. He said design work has proceeded for about six months and that the materials before the commission show the overall lot layout for the subdivision.
Keogh described a phased buildout: Phase 1 (single‑family cottage homes) of about 71 units; Phase 3 of about 62 units; and Phase 2 consisting of townhomes and an additional set of units (transcript indicated one Phase 2 component of about 12 units and another labeled “134” units). He said phases 1 and 3 are planned as age‑restricted homes similar to product already built in Orchard and Sterling Gate, and that Ron McFarland is expected to build the Phase 1 cottages.
Keogh and commission staff said the phasing line on the plan must be adjusted to match allocations established in EDA 4’s residential TIF district. Keogh also noted that a NIPSCO parcel’s zoning as shown on the preliminary plans needs correction to reflect the annexation materials. Commission staff said those and other technical changes will be made before the primary public hearing.
Ashley Abernathy, planning staff, confirmed materials including the annexation ordinance and development agreement were on file for staff review. Keogh said the applicant does not expect a public hearing in March and plans to return for the April study session and subsequent hearings.
Why it matters: The subdivision was previously approved through an annexation and an economic development designation that constrain phasing and unit allocations; changes to the plan or phasing could affect tax increment financing allocations and the scope of age‑restricted housing in town.
The Plan Commission will continue technical review and will schedule the primary public hearing in April, at which time the commission will consider conformance with the annexation agreement and the town’s ordinances.
