If you happened to find yourself thinking, “It’s never been this hot over Memorial Day weekend,” simply put: You were right.County officials have set the wheels in motion for the development of a commercial site in Monroeville.
The Allen County commissioners ceded the county’s jurisdiction of about 11 acres of real estate to the Monroeville Redevelopment Commission on Thursday. The land is outside the town’s corporate limits on the northwest corner of Monroeville Road and Indiana 101.
The site will be developed for commercial use, said Monroeville Town Council president Don Gerardot Sr. said.
The town paid $10,000 an acre for the land, he said.
About two acres adjacent to the site is already zoned for commercial use and is occupied by a Dollar General store, which opened this year. Town officials hope to rezone the rest of the site in the near future, Gerardot said
Mark Royse, deputy director for Allen County Community Development, said the Allen County Plan Commission is willing to rezone the property.
“This is similar to what we did in Grabill and Chapel Ridge,” Royse said.
County Commissioner Nelson Peters said he liked the idea.
“It takes the decisions back to a local level,” Peters said. “They have their own redevelopment commission, and they want to make their own decisions.”
Gerardot said the town is looking to attract service-oriented businesses such as restaurants and credit unions to the site.
“We’re looking to make (those types of services) more convenient for the residents of Monroeville,” Gerardot said.
Gerardot said the nearby Dollar General is a good example.
Nearby residents are now able to buy products for their daily needs without having to drive, he said.
The store initially met opposition from residents who opposed the project. Residents had said the store would reduce property values and increase traffic, but Gerardot said that has not been the case.
Gerardot said he believes property values in that area have actually increased, and while there might be a slight increase of traffic on Monroeville Road, it’s “more of a time-of-the-day kind of thing,” he said.
Gerardot has made it a point in recent months to talk with many of the people who opposed the store location and has found few who still object, he said.
Those who did object have told him they no longer have an issue with the store location, he said, including the store’s neighbors.
Monroeville officials plan to designate the site as a tax increment financing district to capture property taxes. Cities, towns and counties use tax increment financing districts to pay for infrastructure improvements with hopes of attracting new businesses.
The town hopes the development will bring local jobs, Gerardot said, but not at any cost.
The town is all for growth, he said, but is also careful about what kind of development it approves.
“We don’t want to approve any business that is not environmentally friendly,” Gerardot said. “We’ve had some inquiries that we did not feel were a good fit. I’m not a nut on being green, but we don’t want anything that brings undesirable side effects with the business or jobs.”
Monroeville has a population of about 1,250 and its largest employer is CME Automotive Corp., which employs about 400, Gerardot said.
