Seymour’s City Council tabled a developer’s request to rezone about 17 acres of property for a 144-unit apartment complex on Monday.
The developer, Birge & Held, wanted rezoned the 700 block of Jackson Park Drive to build housing it said would be geared towards working families, with monthly rents ranging from $840 to $1600.
The company is based in Indianapolis and manages about 25,000 apartment units across the US. It planned to use state workforce housing tax credits to develop the apartments, which meant it had to consider area median income when setting rent ranges.
At the Plan commission meeting last month when the rezone was proposed, commission member Jeri Wells said Seymour is short on rental housing, especially one bedroom apartments. She is also a member of the Seymour Housing Authority.
Because Birge and Held's apartments would use a property tax credit, it would have more supervision, Wells said. People at the Plan meeting against the apartments because they don't want housing to accommodate Seymour's increased immigrant population should consider that in their stance on the apartments and rezone, she added.
Seymour's population increase in the last 30 years is largely driven by immigration, according to Census data.
Lester Ball lives near where the rezone and apartments would be built. He said he's worried for the neighborhood's "safety."
“These low-income houses that (Birge and Held) is talking about putting in,” Ball said, “you all know what kind of people will move into that place. I mean, we're not stupid.”
Macy Barely with Jackson County United Way said 43 percent of people in the county can’t afford the basic costs of living in there, and more apartments are needed. She listed the average local salary of a few major employers:
The city of Seymour pays $49,600, Aisin USA pays about $40,000, Rose Acre Farms about $33,085, and Cummins pays around $38,800, she said.
“Growth cannot be sustained if we are not accommodating to our community's needs,” she said.
According to Indiana’s Housing Dashboard, Jackson County’s population increased by more than 2,200 between 2020 to 2023, a significant jump from previous years.
According to Zillow, the average rent in Seymour is $1,200.
The Plan Commission passed the rezone the City Council with a favorable recommendation.
At City Council Monday night, council member Danielle Long said, “I’ve heard enough of this. I’m a no across the board.”
The rezone was voted down 5-2.
Councilmember Brian Terrell said the council can’t reject every proposal out of resistance for growth.
He said as farm ground, the 700 block of Jackson Park Drive will only generate $21,000 in property taxes. But if it was rezoned and developed, it would generate $20 million in property taxes for Seymour.
The council meeting was packed, primarily with people against the rezone. Resident Wayne Hess spoke against it. Hess wants an ICE office established in Seymour.
Tyler Hinkle spoke at the city meeting and said Seymour needs housing solutions. He added, "let's just make sure that we're aware that there are people of a different color and race that are legally here."
Hinkle said the shortage of housing options keeps people stuck in crowded or unaffordable situations, "the less amount of living options actually just kind of benefits landlords who aren't really doing it the best way."
The rezone was tabled and won’t be brought up again unless a council person makes a motion to do so at a future meeting.
