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DELAWARE TRAILS
ACHIEVES ULTIMATE GOAL AS
DAVIS HOMES WINS RECOMMENDATION OF APPROVAL
Huge DTCA Turnout and Petition Help Sway Hearing Examiner Despite Opposition From Staff
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INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., June 16, 2001 - When an unprecedented crowd of about 30 DTCA and Westlane Terrace residents stood up at the request of Petitioner Davis Homes' attorney Mary Solada, the public hearing examiner deciding the case knew immediately this was no ordinary circumstance.
To make a long story short, WE WON! The top priority of the homeowners in our neighborhood was to ensure through our negotiations with Davis Homes that no new vehicular traffic was to ever be routed through our neighborhood from a new development to the south.
With the hearing examiner's recommendation to the City-County Planning Commission that Davis' current proposal for development be approved, Delaware Trails can rest assured that only pedestrians, bikes and the like will ever pass between the two neighborhoods.
Long Process Finally Ends
After many months of negotiations with a five-member team from the neighborhood led by DTCA president Jeff Pitts, Davis Homes presented a proposal that
accommodates the need for secondary emergency access to the new sub-division through a gravel road connected to the existing Christ Church Apostolic parking lot on N. Grandview Drive.
This plan meets the recommendation of the Washington Township Fire Chief because it allows the quickest access to the sub-division for both fire stations, one to the south and one to the north, that will provide service to it.
Opposition Overcome
The City Staff recommended denial of the proposal because it called for lot sizes slightly larger on-average than those designated in the City's master plan and because the Davis Homes' proposal did not include a southward extension of Munsee Lane that would connect the new sub-division with Delaware Trails, which would
accommodate the City's belief that adjoining neighborhoods should be connected.
Fortunately, the hearing examiner possessed the common sense, wisdom and insight to realize that current market forces drove the decision to create smaller lots
throughout a majority of the new development and that neighborhoods can successfully connect without motorized vehicles having to pass between them.
The hearing examiner's decision was also based on the testimony of the church's Bishop Tyson, the results of a traffic impact study and the overwhelming desire of the neighborhood most impacted by the new sub-division - Delaware Trails.
Led by the heroic efforts of negotiating committee and DTCA board member Mary Ann Nowlin, the DTCA Crime Watch block captains led by Jeff Rayman and residents of Westlane Terrace, Jeff Pitts was able submit to the examiner a petition with over 300 signatures representing 87% of the Delaware Trails and Westlane Terrace households.
In addition, Pitts presented a 15-minute speech in support of the proposal that was clear, concise, respectful, emotional and perfectly representative of the feelings of most of us in the neighborhood. Thank you, Jeff, for a presentation and a months-long job done so very well.
The Definition of Neighborhood
Thanks also go out to Mary Ann, the other Jeff, the other members of the negotiating committee - David Kirch, Scott Dennison and Ken Zweigel - and all of the block captains and residents who collected signatures on the petition. We couldn't have done it without the unified efforts of the entire neighborhood. It makes one proud and thankful to live here.
The End Result
Now we can all look forward to welcoming 138 new households to our neighborhood and about three years of listening to the sounds of demolition and construction.
The following related articles previously appeared on the DTCA Home page.
To read the first two articles, published in February 2001, in this continuing series about Davis
Homes' proposal to develop 62 acres just south of Delaware Trails, click here.
To read the article, published on April 3, 2001, about the DTCA General Membership meeting held March 29 where
consensus was reached about the neighborhood's main priority in discussions with Davis Homes, click here.
Click here to view a browser-ready version of the PowerPoint® presentation, from the March 29 meeting, that outlines the history of the church property and the negotiations to that point.
To read the article, published on June 10, 2001, about why the public hearing scheduled for June 14 was pushed backed, yet again, to June 28, click here.
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