Developer seeks zone change for Winfield site; plan commission sends proposal to public hearing after re-vote

A developer asked the Winfield Plan Commission to rezone 5510 East 117th Avenue from agricultural to planned-dwelling-residential, and the commission voted to send the proposal to a public hearing after a re-vote.

Todd Cleven, who introduced himself to the commission as "Todd Cleven, vice president of land" for the petitioner Lennar Homes of Indiana Incorporated, told the commission the company was presenting a revised product line that includes six plans and 13 elevations, exterior upgrades using Hardy board and interior "deluxe" finishes. Cleven said the average selling price for the new lineup is about $550,000. "That's about $50,000 higher than the original submittal," he said, adding the project team is under time pressure because the seller has a hard closing deadline at the end of July.

Commissioners probed design details and materials. Several members said the new elevations lack architectural variety compared with the previously approved product; one commissioner said the proposals looked dated in places. Commissioners also confirmed that the planned product would include a three-car garage standard across all 146 homes.

A motion to send the application (docket PC-2025-11) to a public hearing initially resulted in a 3-3 split and no action. After further discussion and a commitment from the developer to increase the Hardy board coverage on street-facing elevations, the commission re-introduced the motion and adopted it on a subsequent roll call: John Dewinski, Mark Nelson, Tim Clayton and Jim Hajrick voted yes; Joe Gacy and Phil Metzger voted no. The commission then asked staff and the petitioner to arrange public notice; the petitioner's attorney recommended a 14-day publication window in the Northwest Indiana Times.

The commission agreed the earliest practical date for a special Plan Commission meeting to hold the public hearing is July 23, which would allow a successful application to be forwarded to the Town Council for its July 28 meeting if the commission and council both act. Cleven said the developer would pursue that schedule if the public hearing can be arranged and notices posted on the required timeline.

The commission's vote to advance the proposal sends the project to a public hearing where residents will be able to testify before the commission makes a recommendation to the Town Council. No final rezoning or council action occurred at the meeting.