Council paves the way for redevelopment of southside urban forest

by Tyler Fenwick

Southside residents trying to ward off development of an urban forest are running out of options and allies.

The City-County Council voted June 9 to uphold a rezoning approval for what could become a new neighborhood in Perry Township.

Residents of surrounding communities who were opposed to rezoning the land thought they had their councilor, Michael Dilk, on their side — only for him to try canceling a public hearing that had already been scheduled.

And the same residents say their homeowners association went rogue in striking a deal with the developer.

Now, the 61 acres of mostly forested land at 7500 S. Sherman Drive is closer to being transformed into what would be called the Trees at Southport Crossing.

Jocelyn Mappes, one of the residents leading the charge against the project, pleaded with councilors to vote against rezoning the property. Mappes urged them to not cave to what she called a “public pressure tactic” from the sellers, who’ve said the alternative to building homes there is logging the land and farming it.

“We need sustainable, community-centered development that serves the public good,” she said.

Afterward, though, Mappes and others who came with signs and waited hours for their chance to speak during an especially tense council meeting were left wondering what’s next.

Their HOA, after all, has signed an agreement saying they won’t stand in the way of development.

And the next morning, Mappes said she already saw trees being cleared.

HOA gets $25,000

As part of an agreement to withdraw its opposition to the proposed housing project, the HOA representing the neighboring McFarland Farms community is set to get a $25,000 donation.

The money will come from the developer, Davis Homes, and is supposed to be used for sidewalk repairs and other infrastructure projects.

The agreement also says residents of the new neighborhood would pay an HOA fee to McFarland Farms.

But residents say they’re in the process of trying to remove the HOA board.

“They did this all behind our back,” Mappes told Mirror Indy.

A petition to preserve the forest had more than 1,000 signatures as of June 12.

In a statement, the HOA didn’t address the effort to remove the board but said it removed its objection to rezoning after working with Davis Homes to lessen the impact of development on homeowners.

“Our goal at all times has been to protect the community’s interests in whatever ways we can,” the statement said, in part.

Along with the financial parts of the agreement, Davis Homes scaled back its plans for the new neighborhood from 137 houses to 132 and eliminated a couple of through streets in favor of cul-de-sacs. Homes would be between 1,400 and 2,300 square feet.

The homes, with an estimated average sale price of $400,000, would add to Marion County’s housing stock at a time when lawmakers and advocates are trying to rein in housing costs. Davis Homes has used that as part of its pitch, while at the same time attempting to please critics with modifications to the site plan.

“We believe that through this process, we have acted in good faith,” attorney Russell Brown, who’s representing the developer, told the council.

Housing development proposed in Perry Township would replace 61 acres of forest

Plans also call to preserve about 8 of the 10 acres of wetlands. The wetlands help mitigate flooding, although nearby residents say their yards already flood anyway after a heavy rain.

And a little more than half of the site would still be greenspace.

Also driving the HOA’s decision to support the project was the lingering possibility of losing all of the trees to loggers.

Jeff Jinks, an attorney representing the sellers, has maintained that if the rezoning petition wasn’t passed, the next step was clearing the land for grazing cattle or other livestock.

“If we can’t develop it and we have to keep it agricultural,” he said, “then we have to make it productive.”

That line of thinking also appeared to sway the one councilor who had the power to stop the project from going forward. The rest of the council typically refers to the local councilor on zoning issues in their district.

Dilk tried canceling public hearing

Dilk, a Republican councilor who represents the area, was originally opposed to the housing development.

It was his decision to delay a vote on the rezoning petition in May and have another public hearing in the first place.

When it came time for the two sides to make their case, though, he had changed his mind.
 

Dilk tried canceling the hearing during the meeting, even though Mappes and other residents said the councilor assured them beforehand that the hearing would still happen.

In a statement provided through a spokesperson, Dilk didn’t address why he tried to cancel the hearing, instead saying in part that the hearing “was important to ensure that all of my colleagues had the opportunity to hear from both sides and gain a better understanding of the issue.”

During the meeting, he called the revised plan “decent” and deferred to the HOA’s decision.

“Is it an ideal situation? No, it’s not,” Dilk said. “But I think it’s the best one on the table.”

And while he would like to see the forest remain as is, Dilk saw too much risk.

“My fear is — whether it’s a threat, whether it’s not a threat — the seller can do whatever they want with that land,” he said. “My fear is that they come in and log it, and now we have no forest at all.”

Mirror Indy, a nonprofit newsroom, is funded through grants and donations from individuals, foundations and organizations.

Mirror Indy reporter Tyler Fenwick covers housing and labor. Contact him at 317-766-1406 or tyler.fenwick@mirrorindy.org. Follow him on X @ty_fenwick and Bluesky @tyfenwick.bsky.social.