REAL ESTATE

Plymouth board OKs MOU letting 32-unit Garden Court Horizons tap city water and sewer while outside city limits

Giant FM reported Oct. 1, 2026 that the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety approved a 4-1 memorandum of understanding allowing the 32-unit Garden Court Horizons development to connect to city water and sewer while remaining outside city limits; the site faces a 14.9% higher utility rate and received a 10-year county tax abatement.

BUSINESSINDY BRIEFBy BusinessIndy Editorial StaffCommentsPublished October 8, 2026 at 6:04 PM EDTOriginal reporting: October 1, 2026 at 12:00 AM EDT · Brief prepared from earlier coverage

AI-generated illustration of the topic: Plymouth board OKs MOU letting 32-unit Garden Court Horizons tap city water and sewer while outside city limits — AI illustration · Not a photograph of the reported event.

Giant FM (Kathy Bottorff) reported Oct. 1, 2026 that the Plymouth Board of Public Works and Safety voted 4-1 to approve a memorandum of understanding allowing Garden Court Horizons, a 32-unit project at State Road 17 and Glenn Overmyer Drive, to connect to city water and sewer despite sitting outside city limits. Board member Duane Culp cast the lone no vote.

The MOU and related conditions reported Oct. 1, 2026 include: the property was granted a 10-year tax abatement by Marshall County; utility service to the site will carry a 14.9% higher rate than in-city customers; the city estimated a $120,000 bore under State Road 17 to extend service and said it will recover that cost over time through the higher rate; the development will have a private lift station and private hydrant paid for by the developers; and the property cannot oppose annexation when requested. Developer Kevin Berger and Rod Ludwig (Bradley and Company) attended the meeting.

WHY IT MATTERS

This decision lets a privately developed 32-unit housing project access city water and sewer without becoming part of the city for now. That matters because it separates two common municipal actions: providing utility service, and annexing land into the city. According to the Giant FM report, the city agreed to allow utility connections while the property remains outside city limits and under a 10-year county tax abatement. The agreement also prevents the property from opposing annexation requests in the future.

Practical effects described at the meeting: Plymouth estimates a $120,000 cost to bore under State Road 17 to extend service, and intends to recover that investment over time by charging the site a utility rate 14.9% higher than in-city customers. The developers will cover on-site infrastructure such as a private lift station and hydrant. For residents, developers and nearby property owners, this clarifies who will build and pay for parts of the hookup and what legal status the site will keep during the abatement.

Watch next for the actual bore and hookup work on State Road 17 and for the end of the 10-year abatement period, when annexation could be requested; those are the milestones that will determine when the property’s relationship with the city changes.

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