The question of how to pay for an east-side Richmond housing development now has one more part of the answer.
Richmond Common Council passed a resolution and two ordinances April 7 for the Smith Hill planned unit development, which occupies 80 acres south of Backmeyer Road between South 37th Street and Garwood Road. The development will include 178 single-family homes in four styles and about 100 townhomes that will be sold.
The project by 11th Street Development LLC has tentatively been allocated $4.33 million from the Regional Economic Acceleration and Development Initiative. A local match is needed for that award, money the city plans to raise by selling bonds.
Council approved a resolution creating an economic development area for the 80-acre development site. It then approved an ordinance establishing that land as an economic development target area. That ordinance enables the city to capture tax increment finance funds from the townhomes, which are a special entity between commercial and single-family residential captures.
After those unanimous votes, council considered the ordinance to issue the $4.33 million in bonds through the Indiana Finance Authority. The 20-year bonds have an interest rate of 3.15% and would be repaid with the TIF money generated by the development.
Valerie Shaffer, president of the Economic Development Corporation of Wayne County, and Jason Troutwine, a neighbor and Reid Health vice president, both spoke in favor of the ordinance. They cited a need for additional housing. Troutwine said the city has momentum as it moves forward and needs to continue that momentum.
“This is absolutely necessary,” said council member Gary Turner.
When the Smith Hill development received council support for zoning changes last Aug. 5, Larry Parker and Lucinda Wright voted against changing the zoning. The proposal had replaced up to 220 apartments with the townhomes and removed the possibility of a childcare facility after council originally defeated it.
“I voted against this project because of the fact that it is in my district, and I’m still not thrilled that it’s going to be put in that location,” Parker said before the bond vote. “I do understand that this needs to be done to properly finance this, so I will be voting in favor of it.”
Wright also voted in favor as council unanimously approved the bond ordinance.
“I, too, voted against this project for numerous reasons,” she said. “I don’t want to be anybody’s stumbling block, but I hope it works out the way you all want it to work out, so I will be voting for it.”
Zoning approval
The request to rezone 2477 U.S. 35 from high-intensity industrial to highway commercial was approved unanimously by council.
The rezoning clears the way for a 7-Eleven convenience store and Speedway gas station across from Love’s Travel Stop. Council amended the ordinance to include language that the developer will install a traffic light at the entrance, which will be across from the Love’s entrance, at the developer’s expense.
A traffic study showed the need for the light and a right-turn lane into the new business. The Indiana Department of Transportation has agreed to both additions.
The Richmond Advisory Plan Commission had voted 7-0 on March 26 to recommend council approve the rezoning.
Tax abatement
Council members approved a three-year tax abatement for Ahaus Tool & Engineering.
Kevin Ahaus said the company is buying a 130,000-pound piece of equipment that enables in-house handling of work now sent to Dayton or Indianapolis. The investment will be $1,170,000 and will create two additional jobs with a minimum hourly wage of $24.
The personal property abatement will be 100% the first year, 50% the second year and 40% the third year after the request was scored using the metric council adopted in 2023.
Litter … still
Howard Price again addressed council members about the city’s litter problem. During 2024, Price spoke before council, then supported an ordinance that increased fines for littering.
Council passed the ordinance June 3, but Price said he’s seen no improvement. Price said the culture in Richmond needs to change, and residents should pick up trash they see in their areas. Price also advocated involving schools and organizations in cleanup efforts.
“It’s everybody’s problem,” Mayor Ron Oler said.
Oler noted that one person picking up trash would encourage others to pick up trash, extending the impact of the effort.
Referred to finance
Two ordinances were referred to council’s finance committee for review.
Pat Smoker, superintendent of Richmond Sanitary District, presented a request to pursue a grant from the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs’ Community Funding Projects program for up to $2 million.
The money would be applied to sewer projects at the Midwest Industrial Park and along Round Barn Road. Smoker said the projects were flagged as likely to receive the grant.
Controller Tracy McGinnis presented an ordinance that would amend the 2025 budget because the code enforcement department was moved from the sanitary district budget to the general fund budget. The department had always reported to the mayor.
The ordinance would create the necessary line items and appropriate the $784,402.06 from the general fund. The line items in the sanitary district budget would then be zeroed.
A version of this article appeared in the April 16 2025 print edition of the Western Wayne News.