NOBLESVILLE — People who live along Edgewater Drive in Noblesville have grown accustomed to the sights and sounds of nature but a new proposal for this area behind me could pave over nature and turn it into townhomes.
The proposal would build homes on farmland and what residents say is a flood plain.
Many people who live along it have major concerns about how it will impact the ecosystem and wildlife that call it home.
"We don't want this developed,” Ann Mummert said.
Mummert is part of the baby boomer generation. She feels as if the city wants to push her generation out.
She enjoys the peace and tranquility that her home currently has. She’s worried that if more townhomes and condos come to the area, her privacy will be in jeopardy.
She isn’t alone.
Others moved to the area from out of state. They wanted more space and less housing density. Something they say will go away with the proposed development.
"What they are proposing for West Point alone is why we left California,” Renee Deguevara said.
Both of those women are just two of hundreds of residents who are opposed to the development, which would add more than 600 single-family homes, townhomes, and condos.
The area in question is behind Jami Ross's house pictured below. She says it will change the living experience for herself and her neighbors, as well as the wild that calls the area home.
"The fact that we have bald eagles, and they are out in this field hunting and scavenging over winter. I watch them dive bomb back in Party Cove,” Ross said. "It is just inspiring. It is the coolest thing I have ever seen."
Residents are concerned that if the area is developed, the bald eagles that nest in the area will leave. The mayor says there is a plan to preserve that part of the area.
"This project calls for a 30-acre park with binoculars and a seating area in and around the trees that the eagle nest is currently in,” Chris Jensen, the Mayor of the City of Noblesville, said.
The mayor says there are other benefits to this project. He says the community needs more housing and infrastructure updates.
If the development moves forward, the mayor says a roundabout will be built at 206 and Hague Road.
He also feels that more options for housing like condos and townhomes will encourage more people to call Noblesville home.
"We want to make sure we have all options on the table to keep Noblesville folks in Noblesville and also recruit those who want to come join our community as well,” Jensen said.
Neighbors hope a compromise can be reached.
The group of neighbors WRTV spoke with said they aren’t opposed to single-family homes going in the area. They feel the lots will be bigger and cause less damage to the ecosystem.
"We realize that we need more houses but why this and why here,” Ross said. “You could build these anywhere but the devastation and the harm that will come to Party Cove. The eco-system is irreplaceable and you will not build it back."
The Noblesville City Council has a meeting on December 17 where they will allow public comment and ultimately vote on whether or not to rezone the area.
More than 600 people have signed a petitionopposing the proposed change. WRTV reached out to the developer for comment but did not receive a response.
