Arthur Foulkes
The Tribune-Star
TERRE HAUTE —
As several public meetings to discuss the city’s shrinking 2011 budget approach, the Terre Haute City Council had a light agenda at its “sunshine” meeting Thursday night in City Hall.
Among the few items discussed in the approximately 20-minute meeting, the council heard a request to rezone several acres of land near the eastside Walmart for a new apartment community.
Under the request, the land, currently zoned for commercial uses, would need to be rezoned by the council to R-3, for multifamily housing. If approved, the rezoning would allow Watermark Residential, an Indianapolis-based developer, to build 178 new apartment units in a development to be known as “Sycamore Terrace Apartments.”
“I just think it’s going to be a welcome addition to the east side,” said Councilman Pat Ralston, D-2nd.
No one spoke at the council meeting against the rezoning request, which received a favorable recommendation from the Vigo County Area Plan Commission at its Wednesday meeting in the Vigo County Annex.
The land where the apartment complex is to be located has been vacant agricultural land for several years, said Tim Fears, a Terre Haute attorney representing the property owner, businessman Greg Gibson. The apartments, which are expected to be designed to resemble large single-family homes, would be reached from New Margaret Avenue, which is currently under construction.
Thompson Thrift, a Terre Haute contracting company, has the contract to build the new apartments, which will have rental rates comparable to the existing apartments at Cobblestone Crossings and the Heritage Trail Apartments, according to an official with Watermark Residential who spoke to the Tribune-Star last month.
In accordance with its rules, the City Council took no action on the rezoning request at its Thursday night “sunshine” meeting. The council could vote on the request at its next regular meeting, which is scheduled for next Thursday at 7 p.m.
Arthur Foulkes can be reached at (812) 231-4232 or arthur.foulkes@tribstar.com.
