North Manchester council approves fiscal plan, moves to annex and rezone land for 48-unit Keller affordable housing project

The North Manchester Town Council on May 6 approved a fiscal-plan resolution and advanced annexation and rezoning ordinances to allow Keller Development to build a 48-unit affordable apartment complex at 1104 East, a parcel the developer says sits just outside municipal limits.

Philell Feversimite, representing Keller Development, told the council the proposal would consist of 48 two-bedroom apartments with one-and-a-half baths, patios and exterior storage; a community building with leasing office and shared kitchen; and outdoor amenities including a playground and a proposed dog area. “We’re looking at putting 48 to bedroom apartments there,” Feversimite said during his presentation.

Keller described the project as income-restricted multifamily housing for households at or below roughly 80% of area median income for the county; Feversimite summarized example income thresholds and said rents would range from the low $400s to the mid $900s depending on unit size and tier. He said the development will use tenant screening (criminal background, credit, landlord and utility payment history), on-site property management and a regional maintenance supervisor. The applicant said an application for funding is planned for July 27 with an anticipated funding close in November and targeted construction start in summer 2027, with completion projected in late 2028.

Council members framed the annexation package as three linked items: (1) the annexation fiscal plan resolution, (2) an annexation ordinance to incorporate the contiguous 2.1-acre parcel into town limits, and (3) a rezoning ordinance to change the property from agricultural to residential multifamily low-density. The council approved the fiscal-plan resolution and then read and approved the annexation ordinance and the rezoning ordinance on first reading; members said the planning commission had given a favorable recommendation for rezoning.

The ordinances as read reference compliance with Indiana statutory notice and filing requirements (the transcript cites Indiana Code sections relating to municipal annexations and utilities). The annexation ordinance assigns the territory to Council District 4 and contemplates extending water and sewer services as described in the fiscal plan.

Council votes on the fiscal plan, the annexation ordinance (first reading) and the rezoning ordinance (first reading) were recorded as voice approvals—motions carried during the meeting—but the transcript does not include roll-call tallies.

What happens next: the annexation ordinance will proceed through statutory filing steps and subsequent readings as required by state law; the developer’s funding timeline and any conditions in later ordinance readings or development agreements will determine whether the project advances to permitting and construction.