Council approves zoning change to allow contractor office and outdoor storage at 11460 Greenfield Avenue; city negotiating land for possible fire station

The Noblesville City Council adopted Ordinance Number 35-09-25 on Sept. 23 to allow a contractor's office with outdoor storage at 11460 Greenfield Avenue, a roughly 15-acre parcel previously approved for nursery and landscape uses.

Denise (Miss) Ashelman, planning staff, said the proposal modifies the prior planned development and divides the parcel into three lots, with Lot 3 a 4-acre parcel that the city is negotiating to purchase for a potential future fire station. The amendment would permit outdoor equipment storage and modify perimeter fencing standards; planning staff reported a 10-0 favorable recommendation from the Planning Commission.

Attorney Jim Schoenberg, representing the applicant (Legacy 4-14 LLC and Rasco Dorsey operating Dorsey Excavating), provided exhibits showing screening plans: wood shadow-box fencing along Greenfield Avenue, chain-link fencing adjacent to a neighboring nursery, and a 12-foot wall with a landscaped mound along the northern property line to provide screening for outdoor storage.

Following discussion and a motion to approve, the council adopted the ordinance by roll call vote with seven ayes and one abstention. The transcript records the abstention was declared due to a client relationship with the applicant; the ordinance passed and staff confirmed continued negotiations related to the potential city purchase of a 4-acre lot for a future fire station.

The approval modifies permitted uses for the site and authorizes the physical screening and lot configuration described by the applicant. If the city completes a purchase of Lot 3, Ashelman said the city would need to return with additional action consistent with the city’s land-use rules.