The Indianola City Council approved a series of Planned Unit Developments at their meeting Monday, including the Emerald Bay development that will take place over 25-acres near 2103 North Jefferson Way.

The development includes a mix of residential, commercial, and public spaces with a commercial zone, a multi-family zone, a condominium zone, and a townhome zone, along with a 2.2 acre park. A concern brought up by residents and council members during the meeting was the zoning required for the project was not in line with the City of Indianola Comprehensive Plan.

City of Indianola Community and Economic Development Director Charlie Dissell tells KNIA News the comprehensive plan is a living document that is a guide, not set in stone.

“As the council looks through projects that they are looking at, sometimes there needs to be amendments to that plan to get the type of development that the comp plan calls for. The plan calls for different types of developments in town, it says we need single family, and larger, bigger single family homes. At the same time we need cheaper single family homes, but we also need multi-family. So it’s kind of a give and take sometimes when you have a proposal like this with a multi-family component to it, does it make sense to have more high-density housing here to make it work.”

The council approved the development in a 4-1 vote with Councilwoman Gwen Schroder voting against.