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Planning commission backs rezoning for 96-acre ‘Schwartz Farm’ development, 6-0
Summary
The Greenwood Advisory Planning Commission voted unanimously to recommend rezoning roughly 96 acres at Stones Crossing and Honey Creek Road for a 280-unit residential development by J. Craig Allen and Associates with Fisher Homes; staff recommended approval with seven commitments after neighbors raised density and buffering concerns.
The Greenwood Advisory Planning Commission voted unanimously (6-0) on Feb. 9 to recommend that the Greenwood Common Council approve a zone map change to rezone about 96.09 acres at the southeast corner of Stones Crossing Road and Honey Creek Road. John Cunningham, representing J. Craig Allen and Associates, presented a plan calling for roughly 280 housing units (about 2.9 units per acre), roughly 12–12.4 acres of green space, and a mix of five product types to be built with partner Fisher Homes.
The commission’s action followed a public hearing at which two nearby property owners urged caution. “My concern is maybe the density of this property,” said Michael Dean Heisen, a long-time adjacent property owner who described operating livestock and a hay business on about 13 acres. Larry Cornell raised infrastructure worries, saying Honey Creek Road is “way overloaded” and asking whether right-of-way changes, fencing or vegetation would limit his farm operations.
Staff recommended a favorable recommendation, saying the project aligns with Greenwood’s comprehensive plan and noting the benefits of mixed housing types. “Staff did recommend a favorable recommendation with seven commitments,” staff said during the hearing, adding that any buffering requirement should be specific and enforceable so planning can verify compliance.
The commission’s motion—moved by Commissioner 2 and seconded on the record—included seven commitments read into the record: compliance with applicable building design, buffering, landscaping and subdivision standards; trails designed per the Greenwood trail network; completion of a traffic impact study (TIS) with parameters set by engineering; coordination on any donation amount tied to the TIS and future roundabout planning; roadway frontage improvements across the project frontage (including widening and paving specifications); depiction of acceleration/deceleration lanes and other access improvements on plans; and coordination of any TIS-identified mitigations with the engineering division. The commission voted to forward a favorable recommendation to the Common Council, 6-0.
During discussion commissioners pressed for specifics on buffering and acknowledged limits of the zoning phase: staff and the developer reiterated that many details will be resolved at site-plan review and through engineering coordination. Staff also noted the Unified Development Ordinance does not require residential buffers from existing agricultural operations and that any voluntary buffering commitment should specify dimensions and materials so it is enforceable.
Next steps: the commission’s favorable recommendation will be transmitted to the Greenwood Common Council for final action. The record shows the developer has agreed to staff’s listed commitments; the precise engineering and site-plan details (including any landscape mounding, tree plantings or trail routing) remain subject to subsequent review.
