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Westfield development scrapped after opposition

WESTFIELD, Ind. (WISH) — Homeowners in Westfield are claiming victory after a massive development project is scrapped.

After working on the plan for months, M/I Homes of Indiana notified the city this week that they were withdrawing their proposal.

This is after residents balked, saying the project was too big and didn’t fit with the character of the area around it.

The project, called Tamarack, would’ve been located on an empty lot at the corner of 161st Street and Oak Road.

The lot is 35 acres, and the plan was to build 53 single-family homes on it.

But residents said, among other things, that that plan would’ve changed the neighborhood too much.

This is the second time the developer has withdrawn its proposal.

Nearby residents say they’re going to make sure any future development is consistent with what’s already there.

“We are going to watch,” said Dave Meuller, one of the leading opponents to the project. “We have a lot of neighbors who were angry over this particular situation, and we feel as though the neighborhood is going to be very careful on what goes in, and our elected officials will know about it.”

Westfield Mayor Andy Cook couldn’t be reached for comment,

Jerrod Klein, the division vice president for M/I Homes of Indiana, issued a statement: “M-I Homes, based on further evaluation, has made the determination the project no longer makes fiscal sense for us or today’s consumer. As one of the largest area home builders, M/I looks forward to serving Westfield’s new home needs in our other area neighborhoods.”