At the same time the planning process moved forward. The Hamilton County officials backed down although the Marion County Commissioners did file suit.
In September of 1968, the Star reported that officials in Hamilton and Marion Counties were planning to challenge Mud Creek due to concerns about loss of property and infrastructure. However, enlarging Geist would also inundate some of the Shorewood land around Geist, thus preventing development. Gordon Svodoba, a resident who lived along Sargent Road, which was to be inundated by the reservoir, brought suit in April 1968 against the IWC and Shorewood, in part arguing that enlarging the Geist Dam would increase the capacity of Geist, and render the Mud Creek Reservoir unnecessary. During the hearings on the rate increase in March 1964, Indianapolis City Attorney John Dillon argued that the Indiana Public Service Commission should tell the IWC to “get out of the real estate business.” A rate increase of 14.7 percent was eventually approved in June of 1964. Rate issues, and the impact of the Shorewood land on rates continued into 1964. Representatives of the IWC were questioned whether the sale of the Shorewood land would mitigate the need for an increase, which the company representatives admitted was true. Aside from this, 1963 was a quiet one on the Shorewood front, at least until the end of the year, when a proposed 16.5% water rate increase was sought by IWC. A major factor was that the residents of Marion and surrounding counties did not have a state park in close proximity that they could utilize. On January 2, 1963, representatives of the Indiana Conversation Council, Inc., (“ICCI”) a sportsman and conservation group with 76,000 members in the state, appeared before a pre-legislative session with members of the General Assembly from Marion County, and proposed the purchase of a large portion of the Shorewood land for a state park. In the interim, support for a state park gained some traction. Kitley, had expressed concern over the closure of recreational facilities at the lake, and because the land had originally been purchased for reservoir construction only, and some of the land had been obtained by way of IWC exercising its own condemnation powers.Īs it happened, the rezoning was delayed further, as Shorewood decided to hold back the rezoning until after local elections (Kitley was also leaving the county council that year). Additionally, the County Council President John A. Bradley and Thomas Moses appeared before the board, and testified that they could not agree to turn over any part of the Shorewood land for a park or other public purpose because such a use did not keep with the exclusive designs for the new neighborhoods. However, the IWC refused this, resulting in the Marion County Board of Commissioners announcing their intent to use their condemnation powers to, as described by French Elrod, president of the board, to “save part of this beautiful area for public use.” IWC representatives C.H. The annual report stated that “xperienced real estate developers acclaim the natural beauty of our reservoir site as among the best in the Midwest.”ĭespite interest in the homesites, opposition was growing to the Shorewood plan, as various Marion County residents and the county government sought to keep the area around Geist in a natural state. Thomas Moses’ president’s message to the IWC stockholders in 1960 IWC annual report (published in April 1961) noted Shorewood as one of two steps of significance taken by the IWC during 1960, and would enable the company to develop the land around Geist Reservoir, and the more recently completed Morse Reservoir (completed in 1956).
Not long after, on January 17, 1961, Thomas Moses, the president of the IWC, announced that Shorewood would develop luxury homes sites around Geist, with an initial plan for 435 waterfront parcels, and 1,800 lots total. However, a change was coming, the first indication of which was when the Indianapolis Water Company (“IWC”) established a subsidiary corporation called Shorewood in 1960. Since the creation of Geist Reservoir in 1945, the lake and the ground around it had been operated in a park-like state, with boating amenities, and picnic areas scattered around the shore.
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