Established to give residents of Marott Island a voice on land use matters that impact our community and environment
Established to give residents of Marott Island a voice on land use matters that impact our community and environment
On 8/29/2023 JC Hart and The Willows owners filed a rezoning petition; this time to build 208 high-density apartments and townhomes on 8 acres.
The first time around they wanted to build a 225 unit complex.
Little has changed.
Their density still exceeds what is called for in the City's Comp Plan.
Click on the button below and select LAND USE PLAN, then search by address - 6729 Westfield Blvd. Looks like the image to the left.
The Suburban Neighborhood typology is predominantly made up of single-family housing, but is interspersed with attached and multifamily housing where appropriate. This typology should be supported by a variety of neighborhood-serving businesses, institutions, and amenities. Natural Corridors and natural features such as stream corridors, wetlands, and woodlands should be treated as focal points or organizing systems for development. Streets should be well-connected and amenities should be treated as landmarks that enhance navigability of the development. This typology generally has a residential density of 1 to 5 dwelling units per acre, but a higher density is recommended if the development is within a quarter mile of a frequent transit line, greenway, or park.
The Environmentally Sensitive Areas (ES) Overlay is intended for areas containing high quality woodlands, wetlands, or other natural resources that should be protected. The purpose of this overlay is to prevent or mitigate potential damage to these resources caused by development. This overlay is also appropriate for areas that present an opportunity to create a new environmental asset. This overlay is not intended for the preservation of open space.
The Marott Island Community Association (MICA) – a coalition of neighbors from Oxbow, Winston Island Woods, Spirit Lake, and other residences and neighborhoods on the island – wants to provide a brief update to you on the proposed development at the former Willows site.
Unfortunately, even after sharing our strong and legitimate concerns with the developers about the excessive density of their project, they have filed a new application which proposes a total of 208 units (192 apartments and 16 townhomes) on the site. As you may recall, their previous proposal was for 225 units (209 apartments and 16 townhomes), which is NOT a significant (or appropriate) decrease in size that the developers claim. In reality, the kind of density that their proposal of 208 units requires on a small 8-acre strip of land, off of a two-lane blind curve, is still unacceptable and we have shared our continued opposition with the developers. This level of density is not consistent with the Indianapolis Comprehensive Plan or the surrounding developments. We have numerous times stated that we are not opposed to development or apartments and that we simply want a development with reasonable density on this site that follows the guidelines set forth by our City.
However, the developers continue to state that more density is required, so they can build a bigger project...and essentially admit that it's required for their desired profits. Since their last proposal, we have discovered some disturbing news we want you to be aware of – what we refer to as "The Double Dip". When the developers filed their zoning petition about 20+ years ago to build Spirit Lake, they included the 13 acres of the actual lake on the property so that they could claim a larger area to build the condos and give them a certain per acre density to meet the City’s Comprehensive Plan requirements. In other words, to get approval for more condo units and more profit as a result, they expanded their development footprint by using and counting the lake acreage – in addition to the land where the condominiums sit - to justify their desired density.
What is egregious is that now, the same development applicant is trying to use the same acreage (the lake) a SECOND time to manipulate the calculated per acre density to again gain approval from the City for a project that is much larger than is appropriate for the 8 acres of land. (They are claiming their site is 21 acres by combining the 8 acres of land with the 13 acres of the lake. They then calculate their density as if they have 21 acres of buildable land rather than the actual 8 acres of buildable land). Constructing 208 units on 8 acres of land as they propose – rather than the approximate 50 units we think meets the City standards – is a density that is approximately 4x what the per acre Comprehensive Plan calls for. This recounting/usage of the lake for a second time- the “double dip” - provides an unfair advantage to well-connected developers to the detriment of our area and the hundreds of residents that live here. It is simply wrong.
We plan to vigorously fight this and need you to help Stop the Double Dip! We need your support, your signature on petitions, your presence at city zoning hearings, and whatever it takes! Please be on the lookout as we send out additional information on how you can get engaged. We need EVERYONE!
Thank you!
Sign the petition to oppose the redevelopment of the Willows site (as described in case # 2023-ZON-094) into a tall and massive 200+ unit apartment and townhome complex
Contact the individuals below to express your personal opposition to the proposed redevelopment:
Keith Potts
City-County Councilor
Keith.Potts@indy.gov
John Barth
City-County Councilor
Vop Osili
President, City-County Council
Mayor Joe Hogsett https://www.indy.gov/workflow/write-to-the-mayor
Scarlett Andrew
Contact the individuals below to express your personal opposition to the proposed redevelopment:
Keith Potts
City-County Councilor
Keith.Potts@indy.gov
John Barth
City-County Councilor
Vop Osili
President, City-County Council
Mayor Joe Hogsett https://www.indy.gov/workflow/write-to-the-mayor
Scarlett Andrews
Deputy Mayor
Mina Moussa
Mayor’s Neighborhood Advocate
Carey Hamilton
State Representative
Ed Delaney
State Representative
Fady Qaddoura
State Senator
Rusty Carr
Director DMD
Kathleen Blackham
Senior Planner
City of Indianapolis
Matt Pleasant
Planning Administrator
Dept. of Metropolitan Development
City of Indianapolis
According to the City's Comprehensive Plan, Marott Island is a low-density, suburban neighborhood.
Placing this substantial 200+ unit building complex so close to a heavily traveled narrow 2-lane thoroughfare is entirely inappropriate and grossly out of place relative to the surrounding community.
The density of the proposed development is more than double what is recommended by the City’s Comprehensive Plan.
The heights and footprints of the proposed buildings far exceed what is called for compared to adjacent structures. There should be a much more gradual transition between new and existing buildings.
On Marott Island, formal public access from Westfield Blvd to the Monon Trail and Marott Park DOES NOT exist.
There is a significant lack of sidewalks for pedestrians and bikers on Westfield Blvd. Speeding traffic along Westfield is commonplace. Westfield Blvd is NOT pedestrian friendly!
The addition of 400+ residents, and their guests, will only compound the pedestrian safety and accessibility issues.
According to the Comprehensive Plan, Marott Island is an environmentally-sensitive area. Any further development needs to take this into account.
The proposed development threatens the sustainability of the White River, the surrounding habitat and important ecosystems.
The developer’s own renderings show they will do extensive work right up to the edge of Spirit Lake. We request a commitment from the developers describing the measures they will put into place to limit the impact on the Island's sensitive ecosystem.
The heights and arrangements of existing buildings on Marott Island fit gracefully into the area due to their appropriate scale and setbacks from the road.
Placing this substantial building complex so close to a heavily traveled narrow 2-lane thoroughfare is entirely inappropriate and grossly out of place relative to the surrounding community.
No other structures or housing developments on Marott Island are anywhere near as dense or as visually dominating as this proposal.
District 1
Councilor Leroy Robinson
317-502-0272
District 2
Councilor Keith Potts
317.659-0823
Keith.Potts@indy.gov
District 3
Councilor Dan Boots
317-327-4242
District 4
Councilor Ethan Evans
317-619-9534
District 5
Councilor Alison (Ali) Brown
317-750-6955
District 6
Councilor Crista Carlino
317-374-6266
District 7
Councilor John Barth
317-902-145
District 8
Councilor Monroe Gray, Jr.
317-327-4242
District 9
Councilor William C. Oliver
317-201-6770
District 10
Councilor Maggie A. Lewis
(Majority Leader)
317-327-4242
District 11
Councilor Vop Osili
(President)
317-332-0877
District 12
Councilor Jason Larrison
District 13
Councilor Keith Graves
317-560-4554
District 14
Councilor La Keisha Jackson
District 15
Councilor Jessica McCormick
317-449-9234
District 16
Councilor Kristin Jones
317-680-6869
District 17
Councilor Zach Adamson
(Vice President)
317-683-9224
District 18
Councilor Michael-Paul Hart
317-327-4242
District 19
Councilor David Ray
317-442-1574
District 20
Councilor Joshua Bain
District 21
Councilor Frank Mascari
317-788-0520
District 22
Councilor Jared Evans
317-327-4242
District 23
Councilor Paul Annee
317-523-5056
District 24
Councilor Michael Dilk
317-698-3455
District 25
Councilor Brian Mowery
(Minority Leader)
317-373-2890
MAY 18, 2022
MARCH 3, 2022: Nora-Northside Community Council sides with the Island community to oppose the Willows planned development of a monstrous, high-density apartment complex inconsistent with the neighborhood architectural and environmental setting.
MARCH 3, 2022: Oxbow residents voice their concerns about traffic issues and other matters
Statement from our coalition:
Our grassroots coalition is made up of hundreds of residents who love our City and tried for months to offer reasonable alternatives which the petitioners rejected. We were prepared to mount a thorough presentation today focusing on the fact that the developers were demanding twice the density called for in the comprehensive plan admittedly to make a better return on investment. They also were trying to count the same lake used in a prior development for a second time to manipulate density, which is highly inappropriate. We hope the petitioners’ action is finally a long awaited recognition by them of the important principles set forth in the comprehensive plan. The coalition stands ready to engage constructively on future plans that comply with the Comprehensive Plan and recognize the City’s designation of this site as environmentally sensitive.
Please see the Indy Star article for additional details by clicking below:
We are a group of concerned residents of the Island located on the beautiful White River, north of Broad Ripple. We recently established the Marott Island Community Association, Inc (MICA) to oppose the Willows development and to give a voice to fellow Islanders on land use and other matters in the community.
East Westfield Boulevard, Indianapolis, Indiana 46220, United States
Contact us to find out more ways to get our important message to your neighbors, friends, and family.
Save The Island
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