he thought he served on some of those committees. He stated that he could not afford for his taxes to go up again. He stated that he had received a letter and was told that this was the meeting to come and discuss his taxes.

Ms. Swackhamer stated that he could ask questions about the overlay district request, but that was not related to taxes.

Mr. Ivy stated that he had heard that the overlay was to help protect investment and asked who is protecting the residents. He stated that was also what Mr. Malone was trying to find out, and that he needed to reach out to those who had directed him to this meeting.

Marla Whitacker, 801 N. Elm St., Muncie, Indiana, appeared in opposition. She stated that her home was across from the river and that she noticed they had placed parking spaces there and asked if they planned to do anything with the houses along Elm Street.

Mr. Robertson responded to some of the questions and concerns. He stated that they had no control over the taxes and that the overlay would not be a factor. He stated that the fact was that development was coming to the area and if those properties were market value, there would be an increase in property taxes, unfortunately that was how it worked. He stated that the intent was to maintain the integrity of the neighborhood and protect the area without interrupting what already existed. He stated that there was a waiver that if a property owner wanted to change up to 20% of the façade of their structure, they would be exempt from the review process. He stated that many of the people here live in the neighborhood and had the same concerns and that this was the tool to try and do the best that they could to protect the neighborhood. He stated that nothing would happen to the homes on Elm Street, if you owned it, it was your home and nothing needed to change. He stated that several years ago a rezoning occurred and that Elm Street was included in that area that went from the R-4 to the R-5 Residence Zone but that there was no intention to force someone from their home.

Mr. Tevis stated that the overlay had been reviewed 3 times and that they had received comments from the Plan Commission Office that helped to make sure that it would meet the expectations like the other overlay districts.

Eric Kelley, 1108 N. Kimber Mill Way, retired from the Department of Urban Planning and CAP at Ball State University. He stated that he had consulted all over the country about zoning ordinances, and you needed to have clear rules. He stated that he had not reviewed this overlay in depth but he understood that the neighborhood and planning department had made some comments, and that this Board could make adjustments to be forwarded to City Council. He stated that this was an important neighborhood for the community and he would encourage a favorable recommendation.

Ms. Swackhamer stated that Fred Daniel, retired Zoning Appeals Planner, had been involved in the review process and was here tonight if anyone had any questions.

Mr. Brand asked if the procedure was to notify everyone in the overlay area.

Ms. Swackhamer stated yes.

Mr. Brand asked if the existing property owners like Mr. Malone would be required to come up to the proposed standards.