TERRE HAUTE —
The conflict between Woodgate, a southside subdivision, and Cobblestone Crossings, a neighboring property development, took a dramatic turn Tuesday when county officials issued a stop-work order for current construction at Cobblestone.
The move appears to be a significant victory for Woodgate residents, who oppose the construction of new, two-story apartment buildings near their backyards.
“We believe it’s well overdue,” said Mike Poinsett, president of the ad hoc Woodgate and Viscaya Point residents group that has been battling Cobblestone’s newest apartment construction for months.
On Tuesday, during their weekly 9 a.m. meeting in the county Annex, Commissioners Judy Anderson, Paul Mason and Mike Ciolli released a statement ordering the Vigo County Area Planning Department to halt work at Cobblestone Crossings effective at 6 a.m. Thursday.
“We have never had to be involved in anything like this,” Anderson said Tuesday afternoon.
Tuesday’s order came in the wake of word last week that one of the members of the Vigo County Area Plan Commission, Norm Froderman, may have owned a share of Cobblestone Crossings in 2007 when he cast a vote affecting the development. If that’s true, that could amount to a conflict of interest – “the law is quite clear on that,” Anderson said.
Froderman, reached Tuesday, said he is not sure whether he owned a share of Cobblestone in 2007 when the critical vote took place. In addition, he had no contact with the commissioners prior to their stop-work order being issued, he said.
According to their two-paragraph statement, the County Commissioners are requiring that Cobblestone come back before county zoning officials for approval of the new construction. This would seem to put the future of all of the Cobblestone apartment buildings currently under construction, about seven in total, into doubt. Indeed, Woodgate residents view this as an opportunity to see the actual dismantling of the newest apartments, something they previously wanted but considered highly unlikely.
“We are asking for the entire zoning [of Cobblestone] to be null and void,” Poinsett said.
In 2007, Cobblestone received permission from the Area Plan Commission to construct apartments in an area originally designed for single-family homes and condominiums. Woodgate residents have been arguing for months that that change was made “illegally” because it did not go before the Vigo County Commissioners as rezoning matters in the county must.
But now the Woodgate residents have a new argument against the apartments: the alleged conflict of interest of a member of the Area Plan Commission.
“This is a game-changer for us,” Poinsett said.
Today, attorneys for both sides – Cobblestone and Woodgate – are reportedly scheduled to hold discussions. However, Poinsett said he did not expect a resolution to be achieved from those talks.
In their Tuesday statement, the commissioners again appealed to both sides to reach a mutually agreeable resolution. In fact, the stop-work order will be lifted when such a resolution is reached, their statement said.
As of Tuesday afternoon, Area Planning Department officials had not issued a stop-work order to Cobblestone, said Jeremy Weir, director of the Area Planning Department. Weir said his department is working to issue the order by 6 a.m. Thursday as the Commissioners have directed.
Nearly 48 hours of notice was given to Cobblestone Crossings to halt construction. That will give workers a chance to put away their equipment and winterize their projects, Anderson said.
“With all the contractors out there, we needed to give them the courtesy,” she said, adding that the commissioners’ main concern in issuing the stop-work order was with the construction and other workers it will affect.
Thompson Thrift, the general contractor at Cobblestone Crossing, could not confirm the number of employees working at the job site. However, Anderson estimates up to 100 workers could be temporarily out of a job.
“This was a hard call,” Anderson said. “There was a lot of discussion. Our big concern is the people that are going to be put out of work for some time.”
Reporter Arthur Foulkes can be reached at 812-231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.
Local & Bistate
Work stoppage ordered at Cobblestone
Commissioners halt controversial expansion
- Local & Bistate
-
-
Banks of the Wabash Festival is more than just yearly entertainment
Pioneers think counterintuitively. Where others see widespread apathy, they focus on the possibility for progress. In a way, the 2013 Year of the River celebration began in the 1970s.
-
Planning session aims to better Terre Haute
It’s not yet clear what will come of it, but dozens of community leaders spent the whole day Wednesday trying to develop a plan – or collection of plans – to make Terre Haute “a better community.”
-
Education funding boost won’t benefit all schools
In the budget bill passed by the General Assembly last month, there is more money allocated for K-12 education over the next two years, but that doesn’t mean every school will get more dollars.
- Day of Action job options open
-
Park Board renames land around Memorial Stadium
Land surrounding Indiana State University’s Memorial Stadium on Terre Haute’s east side has been designated as Veterans Memorial Park, following a unanimous vote Wednesday from the Terre Haute Park Board.
-
Deputy suffers minor injury during incident
A Vigo County Sheriff’s deputy received a minor injury to his hand Tuesday night while subduing a drunken driving suspect who fled behind a North Terre Haute business.
-
Man accused of child neglect gets new trial date
An Oct. 15 trial date has been set for a Terre Haute man arrested in November for child neglect after he and his wife allegedly tied up and confined their adopted children in the family home.
-
Police find meth labs, arrest Pierson Township man
Police uncovered two active methamphetamine labs in southeastern Vigo County on Monday, leading to the arrest of a Pierson Township man.
-
New date set for attempted murder trial
A new trial date has been set for a Terre Haute woman charged with attempted murder.
-
Illinois Senate approves sex education bill
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — A proposal that revamps sex education in Illinois public schools to include information about contraception and sexually transmitted diseases has cleared the state Senate.
-
Gregg pondering 2nd run for Indiana governor
INDIANAPOLIS — Former Democratic gubernatorial candidate John Gregg is pondering another run at the state's top job, but has yet to make a decision.
-
Illinois senator apologizes for Nazi remark
SPRINGFIELD, Ill. — Illinois Sen. Donne Trotter has apologized for remarks that compared a member of Gov. Pat Quinn’s cabinet to a Nazi.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 22, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Tuesday and Wednesday, based on jail records.
-
Rose-Hulman professor researching ways to make homes storm safe
Tornadoes produce greater uplift forces than hurricanes, which can flatten homes such as in Moore Okla., south of Oklahoma City.
-
Group wants to connect downtown Terre Haute with the Wabash River
Fairbanks Park is underutilized.
The Wabash River is peaceful and inviting, but there is some concern about its cleanliness as well as pollution levels. Also, people can’t get on the river unless they have a boat. -
New conservancy district appoints first directors
Members of the first board of directors of a new lake conservancy district were appointed Tuesday by the Vigo County Board of Commissioners.
-
Vigo law enforcement signs Triad charter to protect seniors
Indiana Attorney General Greg Zoeller joined Vigo County law enforcement and community activists Tuesday to sign the county’s first Triad charter, becoming the 22nd Triad in Indiana.
-
Wabash Valley Red Cross wraps up Save the Day Campaign
The American Red Cross Wabash Valley Chapter’s 2013 annual meeting concluded the 17th annual Save the Day Campaign, and the results lifted the spirits of all who were involved.
-
Some Vigo roads washed out
Spring storms resulted in $250,000 in damages to roads in southern Vigo County, with costs including sand and labor to save homes near river bottoms, said county highway Assistant Superintendent Dan Bennett.
-
County Council votes $78K toward rail spur
County officials voted Tuesday night to make good on a 2011 promise to help improve a railroad spur just north of Terre Haute for Menard Inc.
-
Spring flooding damages future CSO holding lagoon
Flood waters from the Wabash River have done costly damage to one of the city-owned “lagoons” on former International Paper property.
-
Vigo tops state average for IREAD-3 scores
The Vigo County School Corp. exceeded the state average in the percentage of students passing the state’s mandatory Grade 3 reading test, IREAD-3.
-
Storms cause minor damage in Valley
Tuesday morning storms in the Wabash Valley caused thousands of Duke Energy customers to lose power.
-
Vigo County Jail Log: May 21, 2013
The following individuals were booked into the Vigo County Jail by area law enforcement on Monday and Tuesday, based on jail records.
-
UPDATE: Damage surveys show 2 weak tornadoes hit near Indy
INDIANAPOLIS — The National Weather Service says storm surveys show two weak tornadoes struck central Indiana.
-
Storm causes scattered Indiana power outages
INDIANAPOLIS — A line of thunderstorms that moved across Indiana caused scattered building damage and power outages for several thousand homes and businesses.
-
Kindergartner diagnosed with MD treated to a day with the fire department
“He’ll just never forget this day,” Stacey Manley said, a little bit tearfully, as she watched her smiling 6-year-old son Carter sitting happily in the captain’s seat of Fire Engine 2.
-
Casey, Illinois aims for another world record
The town of Casey, Ill., may soon weave its way into the record books as the small town with the most world records. After setting records for the world’s largest wind chimes and the world’s largest golf tee, Casey is now looking to become home to the world’s largest knitting needles and crochet hook.
-
Rose-Hulman projects will promote growth, learning for people with physical challenges
Life changed dramatically for college engineering student Drew Christy on Feb. 22, 2008 when he was involved in an auto accident and suffered a traumatic brain injury.
-
‘500’ gas stations being sold to Speedway LLC
After several decades in business, the area’s familiar “500” gasoline stations and convenience stores will soon be missing from the roadsides of Vigo and Sullivan counties.
- More Local & Bistate Headlines
-




