82 homes coming to Monroe after council reverses vote, approves development
Feb. 12—This time there were no surprises.
Two weeks after Monroe City Council rejected a major housing development — one city official said he was "caught off guard" by the vote — council approved development plans for the 82 single-family housing property called Townes at Monroe Crossings.
Two weeks ago, two of the five council members present voted against authorizing City Manager Larry Lester entering into an amended Planned Unit Development agreement with NVR Inc. for approximately 21 acres located at Roden Park Drive and Crossings Boulevard.
But on Tuesday night, with City Council member Michael Graves, who voted against the plans earlier, excused from the meeting, the legislation passed 5-1. Council member Tom Hagedorn, who voted "no" two weeks ago, again rejected the ordinance.
Hagedorn has said he didn't feel the development was "a good fit for the area" and said residents have expressed concerns about excessive traffic in that area.
Several people representing NVR left council chambers after the ordinance passed.
Two weeks ago, Monroe's Director of Development Tom Smith said he was "caught off guard" by the no votes.
The plans were passed 4-1 late last year by the Planning Commission.
Mayor Keith Funk has said he wants to see "a successful project there."
Council OKs design services for $93K
Council also approved a resolution authorizing Lester to enter into a professional services agreement between the city and Fishbeck for the Bicentennial Commons Park Loop Trail and the Great Miami River Trail extension.
The agreement calls to pay Fishbeck $93,400 for design services related to the Bicentennial Commons Park multi-use loop trail project.
Public Works Director Gary Morton said the proposed trail will follow the existing perimeter loop trail alignment and start to connect to the Great Miami River Trail system.
The city is pursuing funding through ODOT's new Pedestrian & Bicycle Special Solicitation program, launched in early 2025, for two significant trail projects: Bicentennial Commons Park Loop Trail and Great Miami River Trail extension that includes approximately two miles of new trail construction, city leaders said.
The proposed timeline indicates completion of design services within 10 months of notice to proceed, with 50% plans due June 1, 2025 and 100% plans due Nov. 1, 2025.
Morton said once the trail is complete it will stretch from Sidney to Cincinnati. He believes Monroe will provide the "final piece" to that connection.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
12 hours ago
- Yahoo
Officials: Valparaiso's recent housing symposium is the start of the process
A recent symposium on housing in Valparaiso is only the start of the process, city officials said, as the community addresses a need for what Mayor Jon Costas called 'more attainable housing units.' The May 29 symposium, with the consultant Capital Stacker founder Heather Presley-Cowen, made a broad suggestion for adding housing over the next five years for the market potential for what one chart called 'affordable/workforce and market-rate' housing. The figures call for a mix of rental apartments, condominiums, townhomes and single-family residences. Rental apartments, followed by detached homes, take up the brunt of the units, with up to 195 units and 149 units, respectively, in each of the next five years. The rest of the units are condominiums and townhomes. 'I'm glad we're having these conversations because housing is a complex issue and every community is different,' said Costas, who was part of a 19-member committee put together by Councilman Robert Cotton, D-2nd, who is spearheading the effort. 'What as a city can we do?' Costas said, adding the city has a balance of housing and is a growing community. 'We have a couple challenges, including affordability all around, but particularly in more attainable housing units.' Because the city is a desirable place to live, that's driving up the cost of housing, Costas said. Zoning and unified development ordinance changes can help. 'We're also looking to increase density where it's appropriate,' which could include a mix of types of housing units within a development, he added. Existing mixed housing can be found in the Aberdeen and Keystone subdivisions. 'Attainable single-family homes is probably the greatest need for our community because the market has everything over $350,000 covered,' Costas said. Over the past decade, the city has undertaken several traditional housing studies to better understand the dynamics of the local housing market, Cotton said in a statement provided to the Post-Tribune, but the recent effort is a departure from past approaches. 'This time, we set out not just to study existing conditions, but to assess our city's market potential for new housing development — specifically in the income range that has been largely abandoned by the private market: 60% to 120% of Area Median Income (AMI),' Cotton said in the statement. The approach, said Council President Ellen Kapitan, D-At-large, who also is serving on the committee, isn't focused just on rentals. 'We're talking about house ownership, the 'missing middle,'' she said. 'For home ownership, there aren't a lot of options' for would-be homeowners whose earnings fall within the AMI cited by Cotton. For a four-person household in Porter County, that range would be from $48,650 to $76,500, according to market analysis information compiled by Zimmerman/Volk Associates, Inc. presented at the symposium. 'I believe in what we're doing and it's important to address, and we can only really do that by having a broad understanding of what's going on,' Kapitan said. Councilman Peter Anderson, R-5th, who attended the symposium, has an assortment of concerns about the process by which council members received the market analysis, among other details. 'This information was received by Councilman Cotton and then he met with citizens in private before the information was released to the rest of the council,' Anderson said. 'That's a transparency issue.' The market analysis, he said, has implications for public safety, the school system and property values. 'What the study suggests, that's a big deal,' he said. Council members often take on projects and he's comfortable with Cotton taking the lead on housing, but things seem to have moved beyond that scope and into secrecy, Anderson said, questioning who is on the steering committee and what they have discussed in their meetings. 'It doesn't instill confidence in me that we're going to have broad public discussion' which is needed, he said. Sitting in on the symposium, Anderson said, it was 'very clear' what direction the city was moving in, and he doesn't know whether the council as a whole will talk about it. He's also concerned that two of the drivers of affordable housing are density and land donated by the city. 'That's ultimately going to be the point. It's a government-subsidized thing,' he said. Cotton said Costas, through the board of works, contracted with Zimmerman/Volk for the housing market analysis, for $35,000. That included additional consulting services, like public outreach and housing symposiums. An initial review of the findings was presented to an informal steering committee composed of approximately 19 individuals, Cotton said, which included Costas; nonprofits, a member from the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission; board members from the nonprofit Paradise Homes; and three members from the council — Cotton, Kapitan, D-At-large, and Councilwoman Barbara Domer, D-3rd. Access to the market potential analysis, Cotton said, was made available to any interested council members, and 'in compliance with Indiana's Open Door Law, no more than three council members participated in the initial due diligence phase.' Valparaiso doesn't have a formal housing policy, Cotton said, nor is the city in the business of building homes. 'Rather, our objective is to stimulate the market — to spark private and nonprofit activity in segments where housing production has stalled,' he said. 'By identifying where potential exists and forging partnerships with mission-driven organizations, we believe we can lay the groundwork for a sustainable, community-based housing delivery system.' The city's plans, Costas said, are still 'amorphous,' with a lot of questions that still need to be answered, including who a developer might be and whether they would work with a nonprofit. Paradise Community Homes, with city administrator Bill Oeding as its president, formed last year to build small homes for under $300,000, Costas said. Housing efforts also are being tackled by longstanding nonprofit Project Neighbors, among others. 'These are not competing groups but it boils down to the specifics and with the symposium, the specifics are just coming together,' Costas said. alavalley@
Chicago Tribune
13 hours ago
- Chicago Tribune
Officials: Valparaiso's recent housing symposium is the start of the process
A recent symposium on housing in Valparaiso is only the start of the process, city officials said, as the community addresses a need for what Mayor Jon Costas called 'more attainable housing units.' The May 29 symposium, with the consultant Capital Stacker founder Heather Presley-Cowen, made a broad suggestion for adding housing over the next five years for the market potential for what one chart called 'affordable/workforce and market-rate' housing. The figures call for a mix of rental apartments, condominiums, townhomes and single-family residences. Rental apartments, followed by detached homes, take up the brunt of the units, with up to 195 units and 149 units, respectively, in each of the next five years. The rest of the units are condominiums and townhomes. 'I'm glad we're having these conversations because housing is a complex issue and every community is different,' said Costas, who was part of a 19-member committee put together by Councilman Robert Cotton, D-2nd, who is spearheading the effort. 'What as a city can we do?' Costas said, adding the city has a balance of housing and is a growing community. 'We have a couple challenges, including affordability all around, but particularly in more attainable housing units.' Because the city is a desirable place to live, that's driving up the cost of housing, Costas said. Zoning and unified development ordinance changes can help. 'We're also looking to increase density where it's appropriate,' which could include a mix of types of housing units within a development, he added. Existing mixed housing can be found in the Aberdeen and Keystone subdivisions. 'Attainable single-family homes is probably the greatest need for our community because the market has everything over $350,000 covered,' Costas said. Over the past decade, the city has undertaken several traditional housing studies to better understand the dynamics of the local housing market, Cotton said in a statement provided to the Post-Tribune, but the recent effort is a departure from past approaches. 'This time, we set out not just to study existing conditions, but to assess our city's market potential for new housing development — specifically in the income range that has been largely abandoned by the private market: 60% to 120% of Area Median Income (AMI),' Cotton said in the statement. The approach, said Council President Ellen Kapitan, D-At-large, who also is serving on the committee, isn't focused just on rentals. 'We're talking about house ownership, the 'missing middle,'' she said. 'For home ownership, there aren't a lot of options' for would-be homeowners whose earnings fall within the AMI cited by Cotton. For a four-person household in Porter County, that range would be from $48,650 to $76,500, according to market analysis information compiled by Zimmerman/Volk Associates, Inc. presented at the symposium. 'I believe in what we're doing and it's important to address, and we can only really do that by having a broad understanding of what's going on,' Kapitan said. Councilman Peter Anderson, R-5th, who attended the symposium, has an assortment of concerns about the process by which council members received the market analysis, among other details. 'This information was received by Councilman Cotton and then he met with citizens in private before the information was released to the rest of the council,' Anderson said. 'That's a transparency issue.' The market analysis, he said, has implications for public safety, the school system and property values. 'What the study suggests, that's a big deal,' he said. Council members often take on projects and he's comfortable with Cotton taking the lead on housing, but things seem to have moved beyond that scope and into secrecy, Anderson said, questioning who is on the steering committee and what they have discussed in their meetings. 'It doesn't instill confidence in me that we're going to have broad public discussion' which is needed, he said. Sitting in on the symposium, Anderson said, it was 'very clear' what direction the city was moving in, and he doesn't know whether the council as a whole will talk about it. He's also concerned that two of the drivers of affordable housing are density and land donated by the city. 'That's ultimately going to be the point. It's a government-subsidized thing,' he said. Cotton said Costas, through the board of works, contracted with Zimmerman/Volk for the housing market analysis, for $35,000. That included additional consulting services, like public outreach and housing symposiums. An initial review of the findings was presented to an informal steering committee composed of approximately 19 individuals, Cotton said, which included Costas; nonprofits, a member from the Northwestern Indiana Regional Planning Commission; board members from the nonprofit Paradise Homes; and three members from the council — Cotton, Kapitan, D-At-large, and Councilwoman Barbara Domer, D-3rd. Access to the market potential analysis, Cotton said, was made available to any interested council members, and 'in compliance with Indiana's Open Door Law, no more than three council members participated in the initial due diligence phase.' Valparaiso doesn't have a formal housing policy, Cotton said, nor is the city in the business of building homes. 'Rather, our objective is to stimulate the market — to spark private and nonprofit activity in segments where housing production has stalled,' he said. 'By identifying where potential exists and forging partnerships with mission-driven organizations, we believe we can lay the groundwork for a sustainable, community-based housing delivery system.' The city's plans, Costas said, are still 'amorphous,' with a lot of questions that still need to be answered, including who a developer might be and whether they would work with a nonprofit. Paradise Community Homes, with city administrator Bill Oeding as its president, formed last year to build small homes for under $300,000, Costas said. Housing efforts also are being tackled by longstanding nonprofit Project Neighbors, among others. 'These are not competing groups but it boils down to the specifics and with the symposium, the specifics are just coming together,' Costas said.
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
County of Brant awards $350,000 in community grants
County of Brant Council received a report detailing the results of the 2025 Community Grant Program during their regular Council meeting on Tuesday, May 27, 2025. The Community Grants program is a key funding tool that helps support a variety of non-profit and charitable organizations within the County to deliver vital services and amenities to the community. While Council used to choose which organizations received the funding, in an effort to streamline the process, the decision was made in 2023 to enter into a partnership agreement with the Brant Community Foundation (BCF) to deliver the grants. According to a report submitted to Council, grants were available under three categories: operational (up to $5,000), events (up to $5,000) and capital projects (up to $10,000), though organizations were permitted to apply for more than one type of grant. This year, the BCF received 109 grant applications with funding requests amounting to a total of $631,831. Given that a number of applications were considered late, incomplete, or otherwise ineligible for funding, only 75 grants totaling $350,000 will be issued come the week of June 16. During the meeting, Councillor David Miller expressed his concerns in regards to those organizations who typically rely on such funding, but were not able to make it through to the adjudication process. 'In the report it says, 'there were a number of organizations that typically receive community grants from the County that were deemed ineligible because of incomplete application materials,' I know one of them was Burford Minor Hockey and I don't think they're going to be happy.' Noting that many of the organizations are run by volunteers and in some cases, roles are often switched around, he asked staff if such organizations would have time to re-submit their applications and try again. 'Council was very clear when we went through this last fall, that we were not accepting any applications that were missing documents,' responded Heather Boyd, General Manager of Corporate Services. '…The instructions themselves were very clear that certain paperwork was required to be submitted as part of the process. …The awards are done now.' Councillors John Peirce, Steve Howes, Jennifer Kyle and Brian Coleman said that while they understood Miller's point of view and were sympathetic to the situation, the whole point of entering into the partnership with BCF was to take the politics out of the awards. 'I remember going back five years or so, the crazy, reverse auction process that we had where we all sat around this table trying to figure out who's worthy and who's not, and it was painful,' said Howes. 'We made the decision that we were going to take an arm's length approach to this after we determined how much money we were going to make available for these groups, and I think we have to stand by the process.' Councillor Lukas Oakley later pointed out that, as stated in the report, the County will be utilizing an on-line application portal through the BCF in 2026. 'One of the key improvements on that will be, in order to proceed to the next stage of the application, you have to provide the information requested,' he said. 'That should help clear up, at least in theory, some of these applications that were submitted and deemed incomplete because you won't be able to submit unless it is complete, or you're submitting supporting documents.' Councillor Robert Chambers then added that he would like to also have the application criteria reviewed at some point given that some of the organizations who are set to receive grants this year, appeared to be more Brantford centric. 'Some of the organizations I've never even heard of before,' he said. 'Some of the organizations are, in my mind, more City of Brantford centric than County of Brant. …I think we need to review, first of all, the criteria, and the amounts, at some point.' While there may be organizations who may not be satisfied with the outcomes, BCF staff will be the first point of contact to discuss award outcomes, and will be working on enhanced educational materials to support applicants down the line. Kimberly De Jong's reporting is funded by the Canadian government through its Local Journalism Initiative. The funding allows her to report rural and agricultural stories from Blandford-Blenheim and Brant County. Reach her at . Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
