Council moves redistricting forward
Consultant’s map gets the nod as most even option; also, Lincoln Road development advances despite remonstrance, land on Hoffer rezoned for church
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Many voters in Kokomo likely will have different representation on the Common Council next year, thanks to redistricting. The council passed an ordinance Nov. 14 on first reading accepting a plan from its hired consultant, Indianapolis law firm Korger, Gradis & Regas.
Under the new redistricting map, several voting precincts would be realigned, erasing some of the more obvious gerrymandering that took place with the council map in 2010. However, the most drastic change from 2010 – the stretching of the city’s Third District south to encompass Indian Heights – would be further altered, removing the historically African-American neighborhoods on the northeast side and splitting them between the First and Second districts.
The new map would make large adjustments as well. The Fourth District, once confined to the central portion of the city, would see roughly half of its voters realigned into other districts. It then would expand far to the southwest, taking in everything from Boulevard to Center Road all the way to the city limits. It would do so at the expense of the Sixth District, which would be confined north of Boulevard while also absorbing the Lafayette Park subdivision.
Doug Wallsmith, representing Indianapolis law firm Korger, Gradis & Regas, explained that the firm’s plan would bring the population deviation between council districts to within five percent, which was one of the mandates set forth by the council.
The plan was one of three considered by the council, with two coming from the general public. Of those, one was presented at the council meeting by its author, Andrew Ellison. Unlike the consultant’s plan, Ellison’s population deviation was close to 10 percent, which is still within the strictures of state law, but well outside of the council’s desire for greater population parity.
That deviation made all the difference, according to Councilman Matt Grecu.
“The one that we voted for, from my perspective, is the one that best met the requirements we set forth,” said Grecu. “It had the least amount of deviation. It didn’t change from what we had any more than it had to. The other plan’s population deviation was much higher; almost 10 percent. In the plan we adopted, it was 4.7.”
“The deviation between districts was greatly reduced, so the city is more equal,” added Councilman Tom Miklik.
Ironically, the new map would place former First District Councilman Jason Acord into the First District. Acord resigned his seat earlier this year when the Kokomo Lantern uncovered the fact that he resided in the Third District on the current map and had won election improperly.
The Korger, Gradis & Regis plan passed on first reading and will receive final consideration on Nov. 28.
Lincoln Road rezoning attracts remonstrators
A proposed rezoning of property at 2331 W. Lincoln Road came before the council and gained approval on first reading, but not without remonstrance from residents in the nearby Executive Place subdivision.
It was the second time this year that the property owner sought rezoning, but this time a different development is planned for the space. Real estate and commercial business owners Rick Singh and Champreet Kaur petitioned the Kokomo Plan Commission on Nov. 8 for the rezoning, seeking to develop single-story duplex rentals on the land.
The measure passed the plan commission and came before the council Nov. 14, and the remonstrators came with it. Their arguments against the rezoning were largely unchanged from their opposition to a two-story townhouse project from a different developer in July.
Carol Croxford, president of the Executive Place subdivision homeowners’ association, argued that the development isn’t a good fit for the land or her neighborhood.
“There’s not enough room for what they want to do,” said Croxford. “(The land) is equivalent to just about three football fields. Can you put that on three football fields? If these are families, where are their kids going to play? I can answer that. They’ll climb the fence in the back, which is our fence. Who will pay for the repairs?
“That area is not big enough for multiple dwellings. We are concerned about our privacy, the traffic that is going to be involved, the extra noise, the destruction of our fences. We are asking you, please, do not rezone this for multi-family dwellings.”
While there is no concrete site plan being considered for the property presently, the developer did disclose at the plan commission meeting that the project would consist of two- and three-bedroom duplexes in a gated community with rents ranging from $1,700-$2,000 a month.
The common council passed the rezoning unanimously on first reading and will consider it again on Nov. 28.
Land on Hoffer rezoned for church
The common council approved rezoning for a lot at 1401 E. Hoffer St. from commercial to institutional to make way for the construction of a new Bridgeway Church. Realtor Paul Wyman represented the church at the Kokomo Plan Commission on Nov. 8, which forwarded the matter to the council with unanimous approval.
“This is where EDS used to have an office building,” said Wyman. “The tornado in 2016 took that building out. It’s just land now, and right around the corner on Elizabeth Street, Bridgeway Church has been in a former bank building there. They love the area. Their church is really growing, so they’re buying the acreage right across the street to build a new church.”