Mobile Homeowners Express ConcernMobile home owner Charles Murdock voiced his displeasure to the Speedway Redevelopment Commission’s proposal to take in the three mobile home parks along Georgetown Road into the expanded redevelopment area. Although no official action was taken by the SRC at the January 15 meeting, the proposal is not setting well with mobile home park owners. Murdock, one of the owners of El-Lou Mobile Home Park, declared he should be able to determine what is highest and best use of his property, not the SRC. The property is current zoned residential. El Lou Mobile Home Park has about 40 sites. SRC decided to expand the Speed Zone by less than 20 percent so it could take in some ancillary areas that were included in the three vision concepts. “It is not eminent domain, but the SRC does have the authority to create redevelopment areas,” Barnes & Thornburg Attorney Nandita “Toma” Shepherd said. Mary Houldson, part owner of El-Lou, said at first she was surprised to learn the mobile home parks are part of the expansion area. Houldson said she first heard about it from Wilcox Mobile Home Park. After attending the meeting, she said she had a better feeling about the project once she was informed that notice would be mailed prior to the public hearing to become part of the expansion area. This is a family owned business that her parents purchased in 1969. The current owners took over the operations in 1985. After the meeting, the SRC members gave copies of three visions to Houldson for review. They are now displayed at the mobile home park for their tenants to observe. “Many of the tenants are upset,” she said. Many of the residents are elderly, ranging in age from the 70s to 80s. “Change is not easy for them if they would have to be displaced,” she said. The other tenants are race fans that use their mobile home during race events. “It is exciting to see the potential,” she said after looking at the vision plans, but she doesn’t know about fruition of the plans. “I told tenants we have no intentions of selling,” she said. On January 23, Debbie Wilcox, owner of Wilcox Mobile Home Park, said she not only had concerns about including her mobile home park, but she had issues with the other visionary concepts. She disliked the fact that notification would not occur until after the process toed to adopt the plan has started. “Speedway is small town. It would not take much effort to notify affected businesses that these are the conceptual ideas the SRC is thinking about that would involve your business,” she said. Wilcox adamantly opposed the idea of closing Georgetown Road. “It is the only good four lane north-south connector of significant length on the west side. If Georegtown goes away, it would push traffic to Lynhurst that goes through schools zones and residential areas.” The other vision that bothered Wilcox is converting Main Street and the surrounding area into a retail shopping area. This could cause an adverse affect to the two struggling shopping centers trying now to fill vacancies. She too questioned whether the plans could ever be implemented. She noted the last major improvement to the town was the demolition of American Clay, Steak’ N Shake and American Classic Hotel. She noted these are now just unimproved sites that have reduced our tax base. The new expanded areas would add another 42.98 acres to the 350 acre Speed Zone TIF district. State law prohibits a redevelopment area from expanding over 20 percent of its original area. This caps the Speed Zone expansion to an estimated 56 acres. Commissioner Gary Raikes inquired about adding land surrounding the wastewater treatment plan, but the commission agreed that it would be better served to include it an additional expansion area starting in June. This current proposal is scheduled for adoption by April 2. The SRC expects to have a draft proposal by February 19 that would also include Commissioner Ron Fisher recommendation to add 100 x 150 feet west of the alley behind Main and Tenth Street. He does not consider excessive parking of cars as highest and best use. |
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