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, 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.
“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.
But at the plan commission meeting, several other spoke against the complex, siting crowded schools and lowered property taxes.
Chip Everhart said in the last six months “a lot has changed” in Seymour.
“You can travel up and down Indianapolis Avenue and what was once homes full are now empty” Everhart said. “The realtors I've spoken to said there's many apartments, but they can't rent them because the rent is so high.”
According to Zillow, the average rent in Seymour is $1,200.
Lester Ball lives near where the rezone and apartments would be built. He sees the potential rezone as a safety issue. Because, he said, there are drug deals at other apartments nearby.
“These low-income houses that he's talking about putting in,” Ball said, “you all know what kind of people will move into that place. I mean, we're not stupid.”
Despite the public’s remarks, 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 while 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.
Councilman Jerry Hackney said, “it's not just that I don't want that in my backyard. I just don't like it.”
The council meeting was packed, primarily with people against the rezone. State Representative Jim Lucas spoke, referencing Seymour School’s high populations.
He asked city council, “do we want to keep bringing in low income apartments that will service people that will overwhelm our services and create a further burden on what's already been created?”
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.
