New developments are coming to all corners of Mishawaka with city councilors unanimously voting to annex three different properties this week.
Parcels of land on Mishawaka’s northeast, northwest and south edges were annexed as precursors to a series of new development deals.
All three votes to annex land were unanimous, though council members heard pushback from residents on one item — a proposal from U-Haul to build a facility off of Douglas Road.
Earlier this month, U-Haul representatives laid out plans to build a $17 million facility just south of the UP Mall complete with storage units and truck rentals. U-Haul representative Ray Powell told councilors the company’s request is just to annex a 1 ½ acre parcel of land — that’s already almost fully encompassed by the city — which would be added to a 10-acre development site.
“We’re looking to expand into the community because we’re need-based and obviously our customers are letting us know where the demand is and it’s in Mishawaka," Powell said.
However, residents living on Cherokee Drive, a cul-de-sac near U-Haul’s planned build site spoke out at a public meeting on April 8, telling council members they fear a decline in their property values and peace of mind.
“The statements have been made that the residents of Cherokee Drive don’t know what progress is — that we’re trying to impede progress. I believe it’s your responsibility to ensure that whatever progress occurs in this community is well thought out and beneficial for all," Elizabeth Roycroft said.
Council members assured homeowners that any construction would need to comply with city code and said that a storage and truck rental business wouldn’t generate too much traffic or noise.
Separately on the southern edge of Mishawaka at the intersection of Bremen Highway and Dragoon Trail, developer William Loudin hopes to build new houses on an 18-acre parcel.
Per city staff, plans call for somewhere between 50 and 75 homes to be built, each in the $500,000 price range.
Lastly up near Granger, Mishawaka’s council annexed 30 acres near Cleveland Road and Capital Avenue for a future auto mall to be developed by Gurley Leep Automotive Group. That annexation comes on the heels of the council annexing another 30 acres just west of the site in 2022 and will all go toward the auto mall.
Both the Bremen-Dragoon and Capital-Cleveland projects will need to build out sewer and utilities before development can start and specific construction plans will still need to go before the council for approval.
Those additional steps mean any development is likely years in the future.
