Published: April 30, 2008 10:35 am            

Jeffersonville moves to improve standard of apartment living

Jeffersonville could be the first city in the state to require new apartment complexes to offer fitness centers, parks or swimming pools — offering health benefits to residents and easing the toll on city recreational facilities.

The recommendation was approved by the Jeffersonville Plan Commission on Tuesday night, and must now be OK’d by the full City Council. The council is expected to address the issue within the next month.

The amenities standards are a part of a larger zoning ordinance update that overhauls various development standards on multifamily housing. What is required under the new ordinance is relative to the size of a development, explained Planning Director Jim Urban.

For example, a development with 30 to 59 apartments will be required to have a fitness center with at least two pieces of cardiovascular equipment. Developments with between 60 and 99 apartments will have to have a fitness center and a small park. Larger developments will be required to have larger parks, clubhouses and swimming pools.

Prior to approving the ordinance, plan commission members discussed how many pieces of equipment should be required for fitness centers of various sizes. Medium-sized fitness centers — required for developments between 100 and 199 units — will need at least two pieces of strength equipment in addition to cardiovascular equipment. Larger centers will need four pieces of strength equipment and six pieces of cardiovascular equipment.

The requirements for fitness centers are progressive, Urban said.

“No other community in Indiana does this.”

Urban said the amenities standards — which don’t currently exist — are among the most sweeping changes in the ordinance. There are also new landscaping requirements, buffer requirements and limitations on how many units can be contained per acre, he said.

The ordinance also creates a new zoning classification for medium-sized apartment developments. Previously there were only two such classifications — one large, one small.

“I think it’s very much needed,” board member Ted Throckmorton said of the updated ordinance. He called the consultation between Urban, the council and the commission, through which the ordinance was developed, “a good exchange of ideas.”

A 120-day moratorium on new apartment complexes has been in effect in Jeffersonville since late January. The council put the moratorium in place after a request by Jim Urban, who wanted time to update the city's zoning laws to match its comprehensive plan.

At the time, city officials were concerned about the amount of strain that densely populated apartment complexes put on city services and schools.

The moratorium will be lifted after the council approves the zoning ordinance update, Urban said.

        

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