Lot 40 in Creekvale subdivision has been surveyed and there is a plan to build a fourplex apartment on the lot. The residents and home owners of Creekvale are for economic development and welcome enterprise in our subdivision but are against building additional fourplexes for the following reasons. Furthermore, we ask the developer to consider constructing single or multi-family units that have commensurate curb appeal to the homes currently in the neighborhood.

The goal of this petition is:

1) For the City of Vine Grove to address the flooding concerns and poor drainage near Lot 40 AND

2) For the developer to change building plans to singe or multi-family units which will be commensurate with the current homes in the neighborhood and not adversely affect home values and/or marketability of homes in the area.

Resident Concern for building any structure on Lot 40:

Lot 40 and the surrounding area to include the road flood multiple times per year. The water depth exceeds the capacity of the three foot drainage ditch and swells 1-3” above the asphalt. Unless there is significant re-engineering of the land drainage in this area, it is unsafe for any future residents. This can be evidenced by the current and consistent erosion around the drainage area and the significant amount of debris carried into the lot 40 area following a storm.

Resident Concerns for building additional fourplexes in Creekvale:

1) The fourplexes that are proposed to be built are not attractive and not comparable to the homes in the neighborhood. Research across multiple states and cities show that multi-family homes themselves don’t drop neighborhood home values, it’s the curb appeal that does. “We find that if located properly with attractive landscaping and entranceways, adverse price effects can be minimized and sometimes can add value. In the long term, such apartment complexes probably raise the overall value of detached homes relative to their absence.” Based on the data, anything that city approves to be built should have commensurate curb appeal to the homes currently in the neighborhood.

A nice unit that is well maintained can be good for the neighborhood. However, the fourplexes currently at the neighborhood entrance are not well maintained. The units have mildew growing up the side, and, up until recently, had a large dumpster with trash consistently thrown outside of the garbage unit. In fact, the former dumpster area is still littered with debris. The current units have blacktop parking areas with mismatched and poorly painted parking lines. The current condition of the fourplexes lowers the marketability of neighborhood homes. In the long term, that will affect values.

(Quote from Arthur Nelson & Mitch Moody, National Association of Realtors, 2003 Study).

2) Data reported County Sheriff's Offices and local PDs to www.crimereports.com show a 4 to 10 times higher rate of crimes within apartment complexes in the surrounding area versus surrounding single family homes. This would lead to decreased safety in the area, potentially spreading to our neighborhood and decreasing our property value. Building single-family homes or duplexes that attract similar socioeconomic status residents will prevent this problem.

3) Fort Knox is expanding in higher echelon commands. This brings middle class incomes and families to the area. Vine Grove needs homes for these people and as Vine Grove residents, we want to attract these people to our community. We propose building family units that will attract the incoming growth.

4) There are currently city laws that do not allow parking on the street and VGPD actively enforces them. It must be considered that the <1 acre lots are going to have stressed parking. The current fourplexes often see parking at or above capacity with visitor’s double parking. The lots are too small for visitor parking with a fourplex or larger. Duplexes would be a better fit considering the parking laws, the width of the neighborhood streets, the parking regulations in the city, and the amount of available space. The congested parking impacts the attractiveness of the community and research shows it is a major factor in long term marketability and thus home values.

CONCLUSION:

Residents and homeowners of Creekvale would support development of single family or multi-family homes that meet the following general guidelines:

1) Any new building should relate to the essential characteristics of the neighborhood and setting and complement the character with creative yet compatible new design. The residents of Creekvale prefer complimentary single family homes or duplexes over any other structure.

2) Have concrete driveways/parking lots with functional parking lot design layouts. The parking area should clearly direct traffic and provide the right amount of space to create a safe and optimized system. There should be handicap accessible parking for anything larger than a duplex and parking lot lines should be clear and professionally painted. There should be 1.5 parking spaces per unit to allow for visitor traffic and not affect traffic congestion in the neighborhood.

Residents and homeowners of Creekvale request the City of Vine Grove to address the flooding concerns and poor drainage near Lot 40 and have a land survey to permanently correct the issue.