By Anita Weier
Northside News

A proposal to construct affordable housing south of Wheeler Road at Packers Avenue is no longer under consideration. The Annex Group of Indianapolis had proposed the project for the parcel, which is currently farmed. Instead, property owner Dennis Tiziani of Cherokee Park Inc. plans a development similar to what Cherokee Park has constructed in the area for decades.

Tiziani said the Annex Group’s Union at Madison proposal received considerable opposition from the neighborhood. Residents also expressed a desire to maintain the type of development already in the area.

“I plan a mixed-use area with condominiums, some townhouses and single-family lots around the periphery,” Tiziani said. There would be about 171 units. He is working with Vandewalle & Associates to plan the concept. Cherokee Park would be the contractor and accept bids from builders. Silverleaf Interiors will do interior design.

The City of Madison plans to annex the entire roughly 60-acre property to Madison and buy the Hornung Woods portion of the property for preservation, said District 18 Alder Rebecca Kemble.

“This fits in with the density set decades ago,” Tiziani said. “I am optimistic about how we can continue fine living at Cherokee.”

Both the Madison and DeForest school districts officially approved a land swap allowing an exchange of property that will permit children in this development and the Raemisch Farm development to attend Madison schools instead of being sent to DeForest.

Marty Rifken of Rifken Inc., which had originally proposed a development on the Raemisch Farm site just north of Lakeview Elementary School, plans to assign his option for that 60-acre property to another group. He said another developer has shown interest, but nothing has been signed yet.