Plan commission supports apartments

Construction might start as soon as March on three new apartment buildings planned for Richmond’s northeast side if Richmond Common Council approves a zoning change.

At its Nov. 20 meeting, Richmond’s Advisory Plan Commission unanimously recommended that Chester Heights Apartments be allowed to expand onto nearly 2 acres that has been known as Berryfield Park.

Council has the final say as to whether the land can be rezoned from parks and recreation and urban residential to intense multiple-family residential. 

Richmond Parks and Recreation officials say revenue from the land would improve nearby Middlefork Reservoir, which offers a playground, dog park, fishing and boating, remote controlled airplane field, and other amenities.  

Richmond High School graduate Jake Powers of Powers Property Investment LLC purchased and renovated Chester Heights along U.S. 27 several years ago and then added 96 units earlier this decade. All were leased before they opened.  

For this addition, Powers proposes three new buildings containing 72 units.

Powers said this construction probably would take 16 months instead of the 18 months that the last project took. The previous addition had one more building, and a lot of infrastructure was added at that time that will benefit this project.

Powers said he’s currently turning away 20 qualified tenants per month and has a four-month waitlist for apartments.  

City department heads were consulted about the plans and generally showed support. A few details remain to be worked out, such as the number of parking spaces to ensure there’s enough room for first responders to enter and turn if needed.  

A few neighborhood residents spoke or sent letters to the commission to oppose the zoning change for the parcel at 1100 North Drive.

Landon and Hannah Elder, Kassie White, Gladys Dreaden, and Ty Stoops shared concerns ranging from potentially declining property values to privacy, security, light pollution and construction disruptions.  

White said she’d asked the city to update Berryfield Park for neighborhood kids, but received no response. Stoops and the Elders suggested additional promotion could help increase awareness and usage of the park. 

Dreaden said she has people on four-wheelers and motorbikes riding through her yard and constantly has trash blow into her yard from Chester Heights’ dumpsters.

With Richmond’s declining population, Stoops wondered why new housing is needed, and said proponents would feel a lot differently if the apartments were built in their own neighborhoods.   

Several community leaders spoke in favor, citing anecdotal needs and data indicating additional housing is needed to recruit and retain employees. Wayne County’s 2023 housing study and Richmond’s comprehensive plan both indicate those needs. 

Dakota Collins, a parks board member, said the parks department is working to do more with less, and maintaining 19 public parks totaling about 1,100 acres with dwindling resources is challenging. 

Selling Berryfield Park could help focus funds to parks where they’re needed most, he said. 

Then, noting his job at Earlham College, Collins gives tours to prospective employees from around the world. He said conversations about incredible local amenities inevitably turn to housing, and those conversations can be challenging. 

Speakers including Valerie Shaffer (Economic Development Corp. of Wayne County), Melissa Vance (Wayne County Area Chamber of Commerce), Jason Troutwine (Reid Health), Mary Walker (Wayne County Convention and Tourism) and Mark Broeker (Neighborhood Health Center) also noted the need for market-rate apartments. 

Vance said 43% of the county’s workforce lives outside the county and takes its money elsewhere. 

They said Chester Heights Apartments are in demand by young professionals who aren’t ready to buy a home, workers of all ages wanting to rent while getting acquainted with their new community and choosing their new neighborhood, and retirees.