My vote
Instead of my normal monthly update, I wanted to speak directly to each of you about the Morse Village proposal, the threats that were delivered to city officials this week, and how our community can work together to rise above it.
On Monday, council members and city staff received threats of violence related to the vote on Tuesday for the Morse Village project.
Let me be clear: while passionate debate about our community's future is critical to any development consideration, threats of violence should have no place in our civic discourse. They only undermine the democratic process and diminish the legitimate questions many residents have raised about development in our community. By and large, the emails, texts, phone calls, in-person coffees, and Facebook messages I received were constructive and full of valid questions that I was able to raise directly with the developer as this project was under consideration.
Throughout my time on council, I've approached each vote by listening to our community's voices and weighing the project’s potential impact on Noblesville.
In that process:
I’ve supported projects that I believe strengthen our community (ex. Village at Federal Hill, Finch Creek by Del Webb, Silo Ridge)
While voting against projects for which I had concerns (ex. Beaver Gravel, RiverWest, and the townhomes along the Midland Trace Trail near Hazel Dell Road)
In each of these instances, your feedback helped guide my decisions.
That’s why I was disappointed when an outside organization recently sent postcards to Noblesville residents that spread misleading information about our park system and our community's investment in the White River, among other issues.
The reality is that Noblesville has invested in parks at historic levels over the past four years. We've expanded our trail network through projects like the Nickel Plate and Midland Trace trails, restored Seminary Park, and planned the expansion of Finch Creek. Hyde Park, one of our largest future parks, is funded and will open in the coming years.
It’s not just parks that have made progress — we have also built programs in Noblesville specifically from conversations that I’ve had with people in our community.
Because of a conversation with my neighbor Cindy, a new sidewalk program has been created to restore and better connect pedestrian walkways in Old Town.
Another neighbor, Kurt, is the reason why we have an ordinance that protects downtown buildings from demolition.
Your feedback and constructive criticism matter because it helps drive our city forward in the best ways.
As stated above, there were many valid questions raised around this project, and development in general, that have been brought forward for discussion.
Is this the right type of housing for the area? Are the roads wide enough? Do we have enough water to service this proposal and the community at large?
So I sought out those answers — not from biased sources, but from experts in the field.
Is this the right type of housing for the area? I frequently hear from residents about the difficulty of affording a home in Noblesville. In fact, I met someone after the meeting on Tuesday named Ian who falls right into this category. He’s from Elkhart, went to Franklin College, and wanted to land in (and build equity in) Noblesville after graduating. He was renting but had a hard time finding a home. He came last night to see what could potentially be available to buy in the future.
As designed, Morse Village offers a mix of housing types - single-family homes, townhomes, condos, and apartments - which I believe provide more choices for people like Ian and others in different stages of life in our community. Having more product to choose from also tends to drive prices down. Throughout the discussion, the townhomes on the West Side of the development seemed to be the common point of contention. We reached out to MIBOR for information on the market for townhomes and I’ve provided that below.
Source: MIBORAre the roads wide enough? The project includes a much-needed roundabout at 206th and Hague, addressing one of our city’s most frustrating traffic bottlenecks. The developer is donating the land around the intersection, saving taxpayer dollars on acquisition costs. The tax revenue from the homes and retail built nearby will directly fund the roundabout itself. I confirmed in the meeting on Tuesday that the roads around the project (Hague, 206th, and James) will also be widened (from 9’ currently, to the federal standard of 12’ and a 2’ shoulder) to accommodate future traffic projections, not just current conditions.
Source: Traffic Study Memo, Final Traffic Impact Analysis, Part 1, Final Traffic Impact Analysis, Part 2, Final Traffic Impact Analysis, Part 3What protections are in place for the environment and the eagle habitat? At both meetings we talked about the buffering in place to protect the eagle’s nest and the wetland protections included in the proposal. Below, I’ve attached the permit that the developer received to ensure the eagle's nest near the fire station would be protected according to Indiana DNR Fish and Wildlife Division guidelines. The Council also confirmed on the record that should the developer ever be in violation of this permitting, that a stop work order would be issued.
We also talked about the wetlands on the property. Under the plan presented, the developer worked with the residents living around the property to preserve 89% of the wetlands as they currently stand. The 11% (or .49 acres as shared last night) that will be impacted as a part of the project are subject to mitigation, oversight, and approval by IDEM and the Army Corp of Engineers.
Source: Indiana DNR Fish and Wildlife DivisionDoes our community have enough water? Citizens Energy provided written confirmation that they can serve this development without compromising service to existing property owners. The letter from Citizens is also included below.
Source: Citizens Energy
Overall, there were further modifications made because of feedback from the public and from Council over the past few months.
Some of those compromises include:
Enhancing tree buffers along the northern property line (including added trees and berm) and adding trees on both sides of the Levee Trail along Edgewater Drive
Lowering building heights for condos and townhomes along the trail
Adding strong architectural commitments (4-sided architecture) to ensure all angles of the townhomes are held to high standards
Reducing the number of townhome and condo units in West Pointe
Redesigning the overall layout to preserve trees and adjust sight-lines
Enacting the strongest rental restrictions that we’ve approved to date in Noblesville. This includes provisions that prohibit:
Rental of any for-sale product within the first 12 months.
A total 20% cap on rentals after that 12-month moratorium (meaning that only a maximum of 20% of units within the community could be rented at any time after that 12-month period is reached)
With those standards and protections in mind, I voted in favor of this project.
I believe, and have experienced first-hand, that we can disagree while still treating each other with respect and dignity. In fact, I think some of those disagreements can be the origin of some of our community’s greatest ideas (like our next sidewalk program or downtown protection boundary).
I understand that growth and change can be concerning.
I see you.
That’s why in the past five years on Council I have voted for and against projects that come before us for consideration.
I commit to you that I will continue to carefully weigh these decisions, considering both residents' needs and our city's future. Sometimes we’ll agree, and sometimes we won’t, but I promise that I’ll still hear you out either way.
If you have questions or concerns about this or any other issue, please reach out. I’d be happy to chat.
Sincerely,
Aaron Smith