Lebanon council denies annexation into LEAP after residents cite noise, lights and traffic

Lebanon City Council on June 8 denied an annexation petition to bring 53.6 acres at 1655 North 500 West into the city and assign it to the LEAP district, after residents described ongoing construction impacts and urged the council to reject the proposal.

The parcel, brought forward with a plan commission recommendation for LEAP zoning, was a 100% voluntary petition from the property owner. Planning staff told the council the LEAP designation carries stricter architectural and buffering standards than ordinary industrial zoning but does not regulate temporary construction activity; Ben, the city planning director, stressed the fiscal plan assumption that the land remains agricultural until a development application is filed.

Neighbors who testified described persistent construction noise, bright lights, dust and heavy truck traffic near State Road 32 and 500 West. "Bringing an unregulated industrial footprint within 106 feet of my family homestead is not responsible growth," said Lesley Hine, who said her house is about 106 feet from the annexation boundary. Other speakers detailed traffic safety fears on State Road 32, vibration and damage from debris, and declines in quality of life and property values tied to ongoing LEAP-area construction.

Council members debated options including denying, tabling or amending the zoning; staff and the city attorney repeatedly explained the statutory framework for 100% voluntary annexations under Indiana law (Indiana Code 36-4-3-5.1), which requires a public hearing and a council decision within prescribed timeframes and gives petitioners the option to file a duplicate petition in Boone County courts if the council declines to adopt an annexation ordinance. Ben told the council the statute leaves judicial review as a petitioner’s recourse if the council does not approve an annexation.

Several council members said they were reluctant to force the city to accept a new annexation when many neighbors opposed it; others pointed to the city’s adopted future land-use map and plan-commission recommendations. After discussion the council approved a motion to disapprove ordinance 2026-17 (the 1655 North 500 West petition). The disapproval removes the city-level route to annexation; the petitioner’s remaining option under state law is to pursue judicial review in Boone County.

At the same meeting the council did approve a separate annexation (ordinance 2026-16) for other BT Smith-owned parcels near Mount Zion Road after an unsuccessful amendment to change the zoning to residential; that ordinance passed on second reading (recorded as adopted 4–2). A third related annexation ordinance (2026-18, roughly 80 acres at 502 South 300 West) was tabled for further review after residents raised concerns that a nearby parcel’s owner has proposed a campground/temporary-worker housing use if annexed.

The council’s action leaves the 1655 North 500 West petition denied at the municipal level; the petitioner may pursue a duplicate petition in Boone County court, which would determine whether the legal standards for annexation were satisfied and which zoning classification should apply if the annexation is ordered. For now, nearby residents said they consider the vote a temporary reprieve from potential LEAP-district development.

What’s next: the petitioner may file in Boone County court. The council will revisit ordinance 2026-18 after staff follow-up and requested clarifications.