If you live in southwest Madison county, I’m asking for your help. Please consider attending the meeting and/or sending an email of your concerns for continuing growth and subdivisions in our community. The meeting, if you are able to attend is Tuesday 8:45AM, August 9th, Madison County Commissioners court room 110. The first floor of the government center, 16 east 9th street, Anderson IN. Here is a copy of our concerns. Specifically the current rezoning request near 800 South & 800 West. Please feel free to copy and or share your own concerns with the following individuals, who have the power to help make our community the best it can be. Concerns and questions were to be submitted 5 days prior to the meet, however we just returned from vacation to find the letter.

Planning Commission:
Rachel Christenson:  rchristenson@madisoncounty.in.gov
Elizabeth Bruns:  ebruns@madisoncounty.in.gov
Stacey Hinton:  shinton@madisoncounty.in.gov
 
County Commissioners:
Rob Steele: rsteele@madisoncounty.in.gov
Anthony Emery: aemery@madisoncounty.in.gov
Ben Gale: bgale@madisoncounty.in.gov
Mikeal Vaughn: mvaughn@madisoncounty.in.gov

Objections to zoning petition 2022-Z-006 for developments near 800 S and 800 W.

-We request a special hearing for this request scheduled on a weekday evening at Maple Ridge Elementary to invite input from all effected.  The timing and location for this rezone hearing is really inadequate for public input on a development of this magnitude.  This development affects everyone in this section of the county who uses SR13, 800S, and Maple Ridge Elementary.  This is a working community.  We generally can’t take time off work to attend county meetings scheduled on weekday mornings.
-We’re asking that the county suspend development until a broader plan is established.  This portion of the county is already distressed from unmanaged development.  Multiple housing developments were already allowed in this area without adequate consideration to infrastructure.  This includes Estes Park, Summer Lake, Summer Lake Meadows, Lennar at Spring Brook, Maple Trails.  These developments have already taxed area roads and services beyond their limits. 
-We ask that the county to formulate a coherent plan protecting the quality of life for our residents before any new development is approved.   The county is currently unprepared to accommodate additional development in this area.  Before development is approved, the plan should address:
—Land usage.  The plan should forecast future zoning anticipating the locations and types of homes to be built. 
—Quality of buildings.  We need to bind developers to higher quality standards to protect our property investments.  This will coincidentally bolster future property tax revenues.
—Prerequisite road improvements.  A substandard effort was made to widen 800 S after Summerlake was built, only to result in dangerous decay on the road edges.  While the recent effort to improve this road is appreciated, it is still woefully inadequate.  The road is still too narrow, and its edges don’t have an adequate substrate.  The substrate on those edges was not fixed, dooming these improvements to the suffer the same fate in just a few years.  (This substrate problem at the edges was communicated to the county road engineer, but not acted on).  The width of the road also makes construction traffic a real hazard with large trucks either unable or unwilling to share the road.  Meanwhile the intersection of SR13 and 800S has grown more dangerous with the increased traffic.  We’re told plans have been accelerated to fix the intersection; however, we have little faith that the planned improvements were designed to keep pace with the increase in development. 
—Prerequisite infrastructure improvements.  It is unreasonable to ask the existing residents to bear the cost of additional improvements caused by specific new development.  At a minimum, the financial impacts on fire protection and waste water treatment need to be attached to future development.
—Coordination with South Madison School Corporation.  Adding 320 houses and 150 more apartments/townhouses (450+ housing units) from this development will undoubtedly affect South Madison Community Schools, especially Maple Ridge Elementary. 
—Coordination with the town of Ingalls.  Developments which are controlled by the town of Ingalls clearly impact the surrounding area, and must be included in the overall plan.
—Rate of development.  The plan should indicate annual limitations on building permits which are consistent with infrastructure improvements.  At a public meeting regarding Maple Trails, the builder estimated building “10 homes per year”.  That neighborhood already has over 240 houses completed or under construction.
-We ask that all developments be halted until after impact fees are implemented consistent with the broader development plan.  We understand, the county is planning impact fees to mitigate these costs on existing residents.  We applaud the effort to acknowledge this problem; however, it is past-due.
-We ask that zoning reclassifications (if any) be limited to R1, allowing other classifications only for specific parcels.  This zoning request is overly broad, including multiple-family dwellings over the entire requested area.
-We ask that the county work in accordance with the laudable goals stated in its 2021 FORWARD MADISON COUNTY Comprehensive Plan.  This zoning request is inconsistent with the plan’s stated goals of “preserving agricultural land uses in rural areas of Madison County”, and specifically in regard to this area, forming a “Regional Development Committee … to prevent traffic congestion, improve safety, and create a sense of place”.   In fact, the comprehensive plan prescribes much of the planning outlined above, including coordination across incorporated areas.  Great idea.  Please work out the details of the plan approving more development. 

In summary, we ask that the commission immediately halt all development until it has time to act on its stated plans for managing that development.  We recognize that some development in the area is eventually inevitable, so does the county.  The county also recognizes the problems being caused right now by unmanaged growth, and the need for additional planning and impact fees to manage this growth.  Please don’t add to the problem.