JAMES WOOD

Staff Writer

During the Shelbyville City Council’s April 9, Courtney and Drew Clardy’s proposed W Jackson St. duplex plan was met with resistance after previously receiving an unfavorable recommendation by the Planning Commission.

Concerns over safety of the plan from flooding dominated the discussion as the City Council debated with the Clardys over the future of their project.

Courtney Clardy countered the notion of the back portion of the property being too dangerous to place buildings near with a proposed split zoning plan.

Under this change, only 5.27 acres of the property would be rezoned to R-3, reducing the amount of area that could be developed.

She also claimed that this plan would allow for the additional six acres towards the back of the property to be used to borrow dirt near the floodway in order to build up the front of the property, helping with water retention and significantly reduce the risk of road flooding.

Courtney Clardy also shared concerns about the line of communication between the Planning Commission, citing a lack of input from the Planning Commission that would help solve the problems with the plan.

“The majority offered absolutely no comments or feedback,” she continued. “There were no recommendations for us. It was disheartening for sure.”

Shelbyville Mayor Randy Carroll responded to her, saying that he and others had been in communication with Drew Clardy in the past.

“I talked to your husband on the phone at length one day,” Carroll said. “We talked at length about the property and everything. Others have talked to you, too.”

“We’re concerned that you folks have bought this property and want to develop it, but we can’t change the river,” he continued. “The flooding is a big issue with me.”

Councilmember William Christie created a motion to send the plan back to the Planning Commission, arguing that by reviewing the plan once more, the solutions that the Clardys were proposing could be discussed more thoroughly.

“We can always say no at a later date if they come back with their plans for the piece of property,” said Christie.

The Council voted 3 – 2 to pass the motion, sending the plan back to the Planning Commission to be reviewed during their April 23 meeting.