Planning commission recommends rezoning for 70-acre age-targeted subdivision with conditions

The Whitestown Planning Commission voted to recommend approval of a rezoning request for a roughly 70-acre site south of the Golf Club of Indiana, advancing the plan to the Town Council with conditions.

The petitioner, represented by attorney Brian Tuohy, asked to rezone the site from general agriculture to R-3 to allow a one- and one‑and‑a‑half‑story, age‑targeted single‑family neighborhood capped at 356 homes. “We’ve revised the preliminary site plan where we’ve taken the 90 degree turn out of Wolf Road,” Tuohy told the commission, describing a proposal to widen and straighten Wolf Road, place homes on a frontage road and prevent private drive access directly onto Wolf Road.

The commission’s favorable recommendation follows several changes the developer offered after a January hearing and meetings with nearby property owners and the Lebanon School Corporation. Key commitments include a maximum of 356 homes (about 2.08 units per acre), homes limited to one or one‑and‑a‑half stories, a prohibition on short‑term rentals, upgraded amenities (an approximately 2.5‑acre amenity area with a clubhouse, pool, pickleball courts and more than a mile of walking trails), and landscaping and fence funding for adjacent landowners.

Why it matters: the site is in the town’s Southern Gateway transitional area on the comprehensive plan and sits adjacent to existing subdivisions and the county line. The design and commitments are intended to manage the transition between future higher‑intensity uses along Ronald Reagan Parkway and the existing rural residences to the east.

What the plan would change: the developer, Lennar Homes of Indiana, proposed widening Wolf Road from roughly 18 feet to about 34 feet back‑of‑curb to back‑of‑curb, adding sidewalks on both sides, and routing homes to a parallel frontage road so no private driveways open directly onto the improved Wolf Road. Buffers were offered adjacent to the Sanders and Hittie properties: a roughly 50–55‑foot landscaped buffer along the Sanders parcel tapering southward, elimination of two easternmost lots adjacent to the Hitties, and a 30‑foot maintained buffer in the northeast corner. The developer also agreed to fund replacement of an old farm (woven‑wire) fence for adjacent owners should they choose to install it; the amount was described in negotiations but not specified at the hearing.

Neighbors and staff input: neighbors and several attendees urged a slower transition and asked for lower densities adjacent to long‑standing rural properties. Ken Kingsall, who lives about a mile from the site, asked, “why why is this not a PUD?” expressing concern that an R‑3 zoning alone could allow higher densities if future owners sought changes. The petitioner and staff clarified that the commitments attach to the rezoning and would limit the number, type and design of homes; the petitioner told the commission that any change to remove those commitments would require a new public petition and council review. Town planning staff recommended a favorable recommendation to the Town Council, concluding the proposal complies with the decision criteria and the comprehensive plan.

School and other stakeholders: the petitioner said they met with Dr. Millman, the school district superintendent, who said the district did not object and did not expect a large number of school‑age children from the proposed one‑story/one‑and‑a‑half‑story product. Jeff Rubenstein, director of the Golf Club of Indiana, submitted a letter of support.

Vote and next steps: the Planning Commission motion found the rezoning in accordance with the UDO and Indiana Code 36‑7‑4‑602 and recommended approval with conditions, including a modified rental cap and fence commitment. The motion passed; the recommendation and commitments will proceed to the Town Council. The primary plat and civil plans will return to staff and the commission as required during the development review process.

Community questions that remain include the precise dollar amount and mechanism for fence funding, final drainage designs to be reviewed at primary plat, and the final alignment/striping details for the modified Wolf Road.

Ending: The council will receive the planning commission’s recommendation; staff and the petitioner said they will continue to refine the primary‑plat and civil plans and meet with adjacent property owners as those detailed plans are prepared.