There has been a separate Carmel thread for a while. Given all that is going on in Carmel, I certainly think that's warranted. But there is a lot starting to pop in the other suburbs too, I think largely driven by what has been happening in Carmel. So I thought this deserved a thread too. All this could be merged into the main Indy thread, but that is primarily city oriented to date and the high volume of discussion means actual development projects can easily get lost. Hence my rationale for this suburban development thread.

I don't know if you all have been following the River Place proposal in Fishers. This has been a bit controversial because of a tussle with environmental groups. River Place is a proposed 1.3 million square feet, $500 million, fairly dense, mixed residental/commercial project at the corner of 96th and Allisonville. It would be anchored by two 25 story towers. If downtown won't build up, it looks like the outlying areas will.

Here's an article.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070602/LOCAL/706020350/1015/LOCAL01

Zoning change weighed
Town Council will vote on residences at RiverPlace

By John Tuohy
john.tuohy@indystar.com

The Fishers Town Council will consider a zoning change Monday that could jumpstart a $500 million business and residential development anchored by a pair of high-rise towers along White River.

"This can be an absolute jewel, but it won't happen if the developer doesn't get the zoning it needs,'' said council member Art Levine.
Centre Properties will ask the council for a zoning change to allow homes to be mixed in with businesses at the 69-acre site to be called RiverPlace.

Currently only commercial development is allowed on the property at 96th Street and Allisonville Road.

The seven Town Council members generally favor the plan, and this week removed an issue from the ordinance that threatened their approval of the zoning change: traffic.

Instead of demanding a detailed final traffic plan, they said they would seek guarantees that the congested area could handle the increase in traffic. The town's technical advisory committee will review the traffic plan as the development progresses.

"We still aren't sure about how many residential units or how many square feet of retail we will end up with,'' said town Planning Director Wes Bucher. "All that affects traffic projections. It wouldn't make much sense to present a detailed traffic plan based on hypothetical building plans."

Separating the two also will allow the council to take action before the June 11 deadline required by law.

Still, council President Scott Faultless said he'd like to begin street preparations for the massive project.

"I'd like to improve traffic on Allisonville Road and other intersections before this is built,'' he said.

Centre Properties said rezoning the land for mixed use would generate less traffic than a strict commercial use. A study it conducted found RiverPlace would add 22,500 automobile trips to the area, compared with 27,800 if the area were all retail. Town engineers were doing their own evaluations
"If all the concerns have been resolved to the satisfaction of our highway experts and traffic consultants . . . I am inclined to strongly support it," Levine said.

Council members agree that mixing uses on the land better fits the long-range plan.

"They already have the right to build big box stores and auto dealerships there," council member Stuart Easley said. "The question is, do we want that or something better?"

Centre wants to build a 1.3 million-square-foot complex of homes, apartments, stores, restaurants and shops, including two 25-story buildings.
The RiverPlace project could generate $5.3 million a year in property taxes but would require filling in 15 acres of land on the east bank of the White River.

Centre recently ended years of environmental wrangling by gaining permission from the state to fill in a portion of the White River flood plain.

The Hoosier Environmental Council had challenged Centre's application for a permit, but after turning the developer away several times, the Department of Natural Resources granted one in 2005.

HEC spokesman Clarke Kahlo said the fill would cause flooding just north and south of the site, despite a canal the developer is building to relieve some of the pressure.

"It makes no sense to have state and federal programs for flood damage if we don't address the root causes of flooding," Kahlo said. "Part of that would be unfettered growth."

Kahlo said he favors a mixed-use site, just not one that intrudes on the river.

RiverPlace would have 300,000 square feet of high-rise office space, two 150-room hotels, 500,000 square feet of retail and underground parking and 1,000 residential units.

--------------------------

Call me crazy, but I don't see any 25 story towers in this rendering.

http://cmsimg.indystar.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Dato=20070602&Kategori=LOCAL&Lopenr=706020350&Ref=AR&Q=80&MaxW=500&MaxH=400&Site=BG&Q=80&Border=0&Title=0

Lawrence has approved a new town center development at Ft. Harrison. I was surprised to see that this requires MDC approval. I had thought that as an excluded city, Lawrence ran its own planning and zoning.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070602/LOCAL/706020380/1195/LOCAL18

Cover Story
Lawrence Village zoning gets council's support
Proposed plan for new town center is updated version

By Cathy Kightlinger
cathy.kightlinger@indystar.com

Plans for a new town center -- a village filled with residences, shops, walking paths and offices -- got a stamp of approval from the Lawrence City Council Thursday.

The current concept for Lawrence Village at the Fort is more pedestrian-friendly. - Artist's rendering provided by Ehren T. Bingaman

Council members voted 8-0 to recommend a zoning change to pave the way for Lawrence Village at the Fort -- a development expected to transform about 150 acres of the former Fort Benjamin Harrison property into an urban village.

Planners liken it to those in Indianapolis' Fountain Square, downtown Noblesville and parts of Brownsburg.

The new plan offers characteristics of circa-1950s developments, said Ehren T. Bingaman, executive director of the Fort Harrison Reuse Authority.
"(The developments are) a little safer for the pedestrian (and are on) a friendlier scale for the human on foot and bike and Segway," said Bingaman.
The plans will go before the Metropolitan Development Commission June 20 for a recommendation to the Indianapolis City-County Council, whose members will determine whether the zoning actually changes.

The area is currently zoned for a planned unit development, said Bingaman. But Fort Harrison Reuse Authority officials want the change to update a decade-old version to an updated planned unit development -- an area with a mix of residential, office and retail uses.

"It will create a mixed-use village similar to traditional downtowns," said Bingaman. "Our plan was 10 years old, and this is a revisit."

The older plan keeps buildings farther away from curbs than the new one, has more parking lots and doesn't encourage stacked residential, office and retail uses in buildings, Bingaman said.

Lawrence Village at the Fort sits in the middle of the former military post near 56th Street and Post Road. It already contains several buildings that are incorporated into the new master plan. One holds a YMCA, another a branch of Ivy Tech Community College of Indiana.

Since the fort closed in 1996, a victim of military downsizing, the Reuse Authority has found civilian uses for land and many fort buildings.

http://cmsimg.indystar.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Dato=20070602&Kategori=LOCAL&Lopenr=706020380&Ref=AR&Q=80&MaxW=500&MaxH=400&Site=BG&Q=80&Border=0&Title=0

I think this whole Noblesville corporate campus is a pretty garden variety type development. Still, it is massive, with a $30 million investment in 146th St., a near 1 million square feet mall (most filled with typical national chains, however), the medical buildings, and the whole Saxony development. If you haven't been up there recently, the amount of dirt being moved is astonishing.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070602/LOCAL/706020333/1015/LOCAL01

Work begins on Saxony offices
Intrametco moving into 2-story building at Exit 10 off I-69

By James A. Gillaspy
james.gillaspy@indystar.com

Employees and associates of Intrametco, an Indianapolis metal trading company, broke ground Friday on their new offices -- the latest addition to the Saxony development at Exit 10 off I-69.

"We've got a tent and some champagne and some appetizers," said Intrametco vice president Jon Town, who helped toast the spade-turning moment that begins an expected seven-month construction project on two acres along Bergen Boulevard.

"It's just exciting to finally get going on the building."

The 20,000-square-foot office building will replace the three-story house at 3655 N. Washington Blvd. where the company has been operating for 10 years.

The 27-year-old firm will relocate near the crown jewel of the Saxony acreage on Noblesville's side of the interchange at Ind. 238 -- the open-air Hamilton Town Center shopping mall planned by Simon Property Group and Gershman Brown & Associates.

"The Simon mall next door to the property is a big plus, as well as restaurants and other conveniences," Town said. "And the commute going north versus south on (I-)69 is a huge plus. Most of the employees live in the Geist areas and are going to have a much improved commute."

As for business benefits, Town said, the opportunity to have everyone's office on the same floor should help with interoffice communication and business synergy.

The ground floor of the company's new headquarters is to be leased.

The 725-acre Saxony project of Ohio-based Republic Development straddles the north and south sides of Exit 10 in Fishers and Noblesville. The estimated $500 million mix of businesses and homes is considered an economic boon to both communities.

The Fishers side of the project made headlines recently with the announcement of St. Vincent Hospital's plans for an emergency center and Clarian Health Partner's purchase of 95 acres.

This sounds like setting up what has long been the case in Hamilton County, where towns control zoning for their surrounding township areas.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070602/LOCAL/706020393/1020/LOCAL05

4 towns seek more zoning control
They hope to get county to let them oversee bigger area

By Josh Duke
josh.duke@indystar.com

Hendricks County planners are working to improve zoning standards, but it may not be enough to satisfy leaders of the county's largest towns.

The county last revised zoning standards in 1998 and hopes to have the rules in place by next year. At two public meetings this week, county planners asked the public to offer views on what changes they would like on rules ranging from subdivision design to road plans.

"There certainly is a sentiment to do things more creative than in the past," said County Plan Director Don Reitz.

The county's efforts come as leaders in Avon, Brownsburg, Pittsboro and Plainfield have grown disenchanted with the county's zoning standards, which in some cases they consider lower than their own. They've joined forces to gain more control of unincorporated land adjacent to their towns.

The communities are working on agreements to divvy up zoning control of land between the towns.

"We hope when we have those agreements in place, we can go to the county to try and reinstate control of two-mile boundaries outside our perimeter," said Mike Green, president of the Brownsburg Town Council. "When they are making decisions that affect our schools and fire territory, we feel we need to be more strongly represented."

Two-mile planning jurisdictions were in place until 1995, when the county changed its advisory plan commission to an area plan commission. Towns now control zoning only within their incorporated limits.

Marcus Turner, an Avon Plan Commission and Board of Zoning Appeals member, participated in one of the meetings last week to find out what the county had in mind. He was pleased with the county's efforts and hopes it creates some consistency across jurisdictional lines.

"I'm real interested in what the county is doing to see if we are on the same page, and if we are not, to get on the same page," he said.

Reitz said the county's most recent efforts to improve zoning classifications had nothing to do with the towns' initiatives. He said last week's meetings were conducted to bolster county development standards and bring them in line with what residents expect.

At the meetings this week, the county sought input about zoning issues through four surveys completed by participants.

The first survey focused on agricultural uses, such as grain elevators and raising livestock. A second survey gathered input on what type of visual aesthetics -- such as landscaped medians or ornamental lighting -- should be added to state and federal highways in the county.

The final two surveys gauged participants' views about the importance of building facades, open space, landscaping and other amenities in both commercial and residential developments.

"We will compile the results and bounce it off the steering committee," said K.K. Gerhart-Fritz, hired to help with the zoning plan. "We hope to have some draft ideas this fall and a final draft of the zoning ordinances by the end of the year."

Plainfield is getting very aggressive in a number of areas like trail building. They've also been a Hendricks County leader in road construction, and are seeking to make significant streetscape improvements along their gateway corridors, which today are quite depressing. I think Plainfield has got a ways to go, but they are moving in the right direction.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070601/LOCAL0505/706010342/1135/LOCAL0505

June 1, 2007

Trail section will connect East, Dan Jones
White Lick Creek and East will be tied by Lincoln

By Bruce C. Smith
bruce.smith@indystar.com

Plainfield is stepping up construction of its fast-growing system of hiking and biking trails.

The Town Council this week hired a local construction company to install a key section that follows the old Vandalia Rail Road line. JDH Contracting was awarded an $873,580 contract to pave about 7,000 feet of trail, improve related curbs, storm water and sanitary sewers and create a pedestrian trail crossing with a blinking light.

JDH representatives said work on the Vandalia East trail could begin this month and be completed by Oct. 15.

The new section of trail will begin at Lincoln and East streets, travel north on East and climb a steep embankment to get up on the old bed of the former Vandalia Railroad.

The new trail route then will travel northeast on the abandoned rail bed and go under Ind. 267, or Avon Avenue, in Plainfield. It will continue east to the new pedestrian crossing with a blinker light at Carr Road and end at an existing trail crossing of the railroad bed with Dan Jones Road.

A future phase of development will extend the trail eastward from Dan Jones for at least a mile to Perry Road.

The new section of the Vandalia East trail will connect at Lincoln and East, where work on the Bob Ward Park, a small neighborhood green space, was recently completed.

It also connects to another section of trail to be built this summer along several thousand feet between White Lick Creek in Franklin Park and East Street, following Lincoln along the way.

A federal grant of about $1.1 million will pay for that new section. The trail will be laid over a storm drainage pipe to be installed in an open drainage ditch along the south edge of Lincoln.

The total effect of those two linked projects will be construction of several miles of new trail, plus new curbs and enclosure of an open ditch in an older section of town.

This week, the council also opened bids to create a trailhead, or public area, at White Lick Creek and U.S. 40. The public could park in the area and begin hiking or biking the creekside trail.

The trail head is to be on town parkland on the northwest side of the highway and the creek, which is across the creek from Kristy's Cafe.

Town engineers estimated the project at $272,000. The four bids ranged from $299,000 to $509,000. A town government committee will study the bids, and the council will consider awarding a contract June 11.

Other trail development projects this summer include paths and a tunnel under a new section of four-lane Ind. 267.

Also, large subdivisions on the southwestside will be served by a trail under construction this summer. A 2,300-foot section of the Center Grove Road trail will bring Center Ridge, Glen Haven and Glen Haven West into the community trail system at Hummel Park and Peacock Lake.

A new pedestrian bridge will span White Lick Creek west of Center Street and Hadley Road, to connect the Crystal Bay subdivision to Hummel Park.

By the way, if anyone wants to see a conceptual site plan rendering of phase 1 of the proposed Fishers town center development, you can see it here.

http://www.fairmountproperties.com/documents/siteplans/Fishers-Plan.pdf

I personally was underwhelmed by this. It reinforces my initial suspicion that this is not much more than a lifestyle center (i.e., shopping mall).

I live out in Avon and I am very jealous of what Plainfield has done with their trail system. It's absolutely wonderful, almost every single part of the town is connected with trails. What I am wondering is why their haven't been any new urbanism developments in Plainfield, I think the town made some mistakes when planning Metropolis. Plainfield also should be working on extending it's main street downtown, and trying to bring life back to it (something like Zionsville).

It's tough for Avon, which wasn't even incorporated as a town until the 1990's. They've got a way to go to catch up.

Plainfield is working on a downtown master plan of some sort. Part of this is linked to the Main St. (US 40/Washington St.) streetscape plan that they have. I don't know all of the details, however.

I was in downtown Plainfield the other day. One thing I noticed is that like a lot of smaller towns in Indiana, the streets and such are just bare asphalt on grass - no drainage, curbs, sidewalks, etc. This needs to be addressed. One of the things that Carmel did that doesn't show up on the radar but makes a huge difference was to completely reconstruct the infrastructure of old town. The sewers were replaced, storm drainag installed, curb/gutter & sidewalk put in, and new asphalt laid. This was a very expensive proposition - about $18 million I think. That may prove too expensive for Plainfield, though with their commercial base they should certainly be able to afford it.

Thanks for the updates arenn. These proposed developments are VERY exciting. That Riverplace proposal is kick-ass. I would LOVE to see 25-story buildings in that part of the metro area. Fishers/Castleton has been booming for so long, it is about time it got a skyline to match.

Riverplace, along with the Westfield proposal at Keystone and 86th, will totally remake the north side of Indy for the better in my opinion. North Indy/Fishers/Carmel could truly become a commerical nerve center along with DT Indianapolis. Let's hope we get some light-rail to connect all these mega-developments.

I went out to lunch in Castleton today and noticed how much construction there was at Castleton Square Mall. Does anyone know what is going in the new buildings there?

Regarding Plainfield, does anyone know the construction status of the outer beltway (the Ronald Reagan parkway)?

hoosier, it is odd that high rise proposals seem to fare poorly downtown, but that there are at least three 20+ story buildings proposed in the north suburban areas.

The "outer beltway" as you call it will extend from Kentucky Ave. and Ameriplex parkway, up through Hendricks and Boone Counties as Ronald Reagan Parkway, across through Hamilton County as 146th St. and south through Hancock County as Olio and Mt. Comfort Rds. (name changes at the border - technically it is called CR 600W in Hancock County).

This road is completed as a four lane divided highway between Kentucky Ave and Stafford Rd. in Plainfield. A section that will be four-lane divided is under construction from Stafford Rd. north to CR 200S (a bit north of Washington St). It is mostly done, but not yet fully open to traffic.

There is a gap between CR 200S and Rockville Rd. This route is designed and 80% of the ROW is acquired. The price tag I've seen has this at $14 million, which makes me think they are planning to build it as a two-lane road. This would include a needed bridge over the CSX Avon Yard.

Between Rockville at CR 300N (30th St), the road has been built as a two-lane country road on a four lane ROW.

The segment from CR 300N to Crawfordsville Rd. (US 136) is in design I believe. I suspect it will also be a two-lane segment.

The segment from Crawfordsville Rd. to 56th St. is under construction as part of the interchange project at Ronald Reagan at I-74. It will not be complete until fall of 2008.

The segment north of 56th St. is in the environmental assessment process. No route has been selected, though there was just an article about it in the paper:

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070531/LOCAL0202/705310434/1145/LOCAL02

There were a few options last I looked at this, but it appears they are looking at a route that will connect to the I-65/SR 267 interchange. From there existing CR 400S and CR 300S in Boone County will be used. I suspect we are a long, long time from seeing a lot done in Boone County given the critical highway funding problems there, but if the use TIF dollars it might be sooner.

Hamilton County has design projects underway for the four mile segment of 146th from the county line to Spring Mill. This would widen that segment to four lanes. There is no construction or ROW funding at this time.

From Spring Mill to SR 37, 146th St. is complete as a four lane divided parkway.

From SR 37 to I-69 Exit 10, 146th is under construction as a four or six lane parkway, with the project to be completed this fall.

Exit 10 is being upgraded by INDOT as we speak.

Olio Rd. is already four lanes from I-69 Exit 10 to just north of Geist Reservoir.

The bridge over Geist Reservoir is being replaced with a new four lane structure as we speak.

South of there, design is complete on Olio to four lane it to the county line. There is no funding as of yet other than to widen and realign the intersection at 104th St. But I believe Hamilton County is considering using local funds to complete the four laning from the new bridge to the new intersection.

In Hancock County, Mt. Comfort Rd. already exists as a two-lane route. There are no short term plans to widen it. However, McCordsville is studying the alignment through town. The old town centers of both McCordsville and Mt. Comfort, including two cemetaries, complicate expansion here.

INDOT is planning to spend about $25 million during the Major Moves program to improve the interchange of Mt. Comfort Rd. at I-70.

The southern part of the "beltway" doesn't really exist. Johnson County has been studying east-west routes. I believe they want to upgrade CR 750N and build a new I-65 interchange there, but it is difficult for me to see how this would connect with the northern arc I just discussed.

I hope you found this status update useful.

hoosier, it is odd that high rise proposals seem to fare poorly downtown, but that there are at least three 20+ story buildings proposed in the north suburban areas.

The "outer beltway" as you call it will extend from Kentucky Ave. and Ameriplex parkway, up through Hendricks and Boone Counties as Ronald Reagan Parkway, across through Hamilton County as 146th St. and south through Hancock County as Olio and Mt. Comfort Rds. (name changes at the border - technically it is called CR 600W in Hancock County).

This road is completed as a four lane divided highway between Kentucky Ave and Stafford Rd. in Plainfield. A section that will be four-lane divided is under construction from Stafford Rd. north to CR 200S (a bit north of Washington St). It is mostly done, but not yet fully open to traffic.

There is a gap between CR 200S and Rockville Rd. This route is designed and 80% of the ROW is acquired. The price tag I've seen has this at $14 million, which makes me think they are planning to build it as a two-lane road. This would include a needed bridge over the CSX Avon Yard.

Between Rockville at CR 300N (30th St), the road has been built as a two-lane country road on a four lane ROW.

The segment from CR 300N to Crawfordsville Rd. (US 136) is in design I believe. I suspect it will also be a two-lane segment.

The segment from Crawfordsville Rd. to 56th St. is under construction as part of the interchange project at Ronald Reagan at I-74. It will not be complete until fall of 2008.

The segment north of 56th St. is in the environmental assessment process. No route has been selected, though there was just an article about it in the paper:

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070531/LOCAL0202/705310434/1145/LOCAL02

There were a few options last I looked at this, but it appears they are looking at a route that will connect to the I-65/SR 267 interchange. From there existing CR 400S and CR 300S in Boone County will be used. I suspect we are a long, long time from seeing a lot done in Boone County given the critical highway funding problems there, but if the use TIF dollars it might be sooner.

Hamilton County has design projects underway for the four mile segment of 146th from the county line to Spring Mill. This would widen that segment to four lanes. There is no construction or ROW funding at this time.

From Spring Mill to SR 37, 146th St. is complete as a four lane divided parkway.

From SR 37 to I-69 Exit 10, 146th is under construction as a four or six lane parkway, with the project to be completed this fall.

Exit 10 is being upgraded by INDOT as we speak.

Olio Rd. is already four lanes from I-69 Exit 10 to just north of Geist Reservoir.

The bridge over Geist Reservoir is being replaced with a new four lane structure as we speak.

South of there, design is complete on Olio to four lane it to the county line. There is no funding as of yet other than to widen and realign the intersection at 104th St. But I believe Hamilton County is considering using local funds to complete the four laning from the new bridge to the new intersection.

In Hancock County, Mt. Comfort Rd. already exists as a two-lane route. There are no short term plans to widen it. However, McCordsville is studying the alignment through town. The old town centers of both McCordsville and Mt. Comfort, including two cemetaries, complicate expansion here.

INDOT is planning to spend about $25 million during the Major Moves program to improve the interchange of Mt. Comfort Rd. at I-70.

The southern part of the "beltway" doesn't really exist. Johnson County has been studying east-west routes. I believe they want to upgrade CR 750N and build a new I-65 interchange there, but it is difficult for me to see how this would connect with the northern arc I just discussed.

I hope you found this status update useful.

WOW!! That was amazing arenn. Thanks a lot!:banana:

As for the southern portion of the outer beltway, I think Southport road would be a good candidate to carry it. Southport was recently widened to five lanes from SR 37 to Bluff Road and there is already an interchange with I-65.

I didn't realize that work on the NE leg of the beltway had already commenced. In reality, the most important segment of this road is in Hendricks and Hamilton counties. I wish that it was being built as a four-lane road to begin, but two lanes are better than none. Eventually it will be widened, when is anyone's guess.

Call me crazy, but I don't see any 25 story towers in this rendering.

http://cmsimg.indystar.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Dato=20070602&Kategori=LOCAL&Lopenr=706020350&Ref=AR&Q=80&MaxW=500&MaxH=400&Site=BG&Q=80&Border=0&Title=0

First off, thanks for creating this thread and posting all those articles.

How much of the project will be cut if the zoning variance is not granted? Will it affect the 25 storey towers? That could be really great for the area. If they aren't built I'm at least glad developers are thinking about high density; it's what the northside really needs.

I seem to remember reading an article awhile ago about a project in Carmel called Gramercy. If memory serves me correctly, it was supposed to be mid-rise apartments and condos off of Keystone somewhere in Carmel. What's the updated scoop on this project?

cityfan, the site of the proposed River Place development is currently zoned C-3, which allows big box retail. The zoning change would be to allow for the mixed use development, which the developer claims will generate less traffic.

If the zoning change is denied, the landowner will probably come back with a retail-only strip mall proposal that can be built as of right.

Gramercy is a proposed new urbanist development in central Carmel off 126th St. between Range Line and Keystone. It will replace the Mohawk Apartments and golf course. It is consist of 2000 residential units, plus integrated commercial. This will be a significant density increase over the current 500 units. It has already received approval, but appears to be on a slow burn. I'm guessing it is a decade or more from full buildout.

Here are a couple of Gramercy renderings. But I believe these should be considered purely conceptual

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1086/527912201_0e0616c695_o.jpg

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1094/527912195_8ad926d1f8.jpg

By the way, my intent was to continue maintaining Carmel as a separate thread, because of the quantity and the uniqueness of the development there.

Here's an article about the vote tonight on River Place's zoning request:

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070604/LOCAL010203/706040390

Sounds like the project is pretty favored.

It contains on additional conceptual rendering of the project, albeit not a great one:

http://cmsimg.indystar.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Dato=20070604&Kategori=LOCAL010203&Lopenr=706040390&Ref=AR&Q=80&MaxW=500&MaxH=400&Site=BG&Q=80&Border=0&Title=0

The developer has a huge ace in the hole with this project, which is that the land is already zoned for big box retail. If the town council shoots them down, they can just throw up a generic strip mall and there's nothing the city can do about it.

Indy's burbs are growing at a very fast pace! It isn't just limited to Hamilton County either. The Indianapolis Metro area is such an attractive place to do business and raise a family that I see no signs of a slow-down anytime soon. If all of these developments go up, there will be a number of great opportunities through out the region!

I went past the River Park Place site this weekend on my way to the Bob Evans at 96th & Keystone (I love me some Bob Evans) and they have all kinds of equipment on site. It seems that they already have their approvals

I like this development Riverplace. A couple of 25-story towers would be AWESOME for the Indy metro area.

I hope the developer widens 96th and Allisonville though to accomodate increased traffic.

I like this development Riverplace. A couple of 25-story towers would be AWESOME for the Indy metro area.

Although I'd prefer high rises downtown anyday, it is nice to have some on the outlying area. It creates a cool effect when driving on I-465, makes it feel like a really large city, where high rises aren't contained to one area.

Although I'd prefer high rises downtown anyday, it is nice to have some on the outlying area. It creates a cool effect when driving on I-465, makes it feel like a really large city, where high rises aren't contained to one area.

I agree. If that proposal at 86th and Keystone goes through, north Indy/Fishers would have a nice little skyline. That is what Indy needs- a second skyline to show that the rest of the metro area is growing and prospering.

These projects look very nice and will be an asset to the area! I stayed in Indianapolis for about a month about two years ago. I really liked this city especially the downtown area!

The zoning change needed for Riverplace to go forward was approved by the Fishers City Council earlier tonight.

Hopefully, this development won't cause flooding along the White River, but I am not confident the developer will adequately remedy this problem.

Fishers council approves zoning for RiverPlace

The Fishers Town Council approved a zoning ordinance tonight clearing the way for a $500 million high-rise development along the White River.

The council voted 4-1, for the change that will allow, Centre Properties, of Indianapolis, to proceed with plans to build a 1.3 million square foot complex of stores, restaurants, shops apartments and homes at 96th Street Allisonville Road.
The 69-acre RiverPlace project could generate $5.3 million a year in property taxes for Fishers, but has angered environmentalists who claim it would cause flooding on the river.

The developer plans to fill 15 acres of land on the east bank of the river and dig a 2000-foot channel intended to prevent it from spilling its banks.

The change will allow residences to be built at the site, where currently only businesses are allowed.

Centre's preliminary plans call for a pair of high-rise towers reaching up to 25 stories, two hotels, underground parking and 1,000 residential units.

^^^ This is fantastic news, especially as long as no environmental hazards occur. There are so many large projects going on in Hamilton county and Anson in Boone county!! Its also great to see some high density stuff being proposed. The project at 86th and Keystone, RiverPlace, and Gramercy are really neat projects that I think are a great testimony to the growth and turn around the city is making, now lets just seesome more dt proposals please ;)

Yeah that is great news. Now I'm really itching to see renderings of these 25 story towers.

^^^^ LOL Nope not me, thats when a great project like this goes down the drain in Indy lol

Well, the proposal at Woodfield at the Crossing, the existing Keystone at the Crossing, Gramercy, and now this...I say that the northiside/Hamilton County is doing very well.

Well, the proposal at Woodfield at the Crossing, the existing Keystone at the Crossing, Gramercy, and now this...I say that the northiside/Hamilton County is doing very well.

Indeed it is. That area has been booming for over a decade and it is good to see that the area has grown to the extent that developers are wanting to build high-density, mid/high-rise developments there.

And downtown is doing is just fine as long as one of the MSA proposals and the JW Marriott get built.

yup also there will be so developement around los

There was an article in the Star today about a high class hotel that will be constructed in the Saxony development at the interchange of SR 238 and I-69.

It mentioned a PR person from the hotel chain owner about how Indianapolis is a growing market for business travelers.

With all of these new hotels going up around Indy, there should be no problem meeting the required number of hotel rooms to host a SB if Indy decides to bid again.:)

yup also there will be so developement around los

True, if you look at the right edge of the LOs webcam, you can see one of the new hotels going up. The other hotel has broken ground but it has not started rising yet. These hotels may not be beautiful, but they are a far improvement over the ugly light industry warehouses between West and Missouri below South Street.

do the new hotels meet NFL requirements though i remember hearing they had to have room service and a lot of other amenties

Upscale hotel for business travelers sets sights on Exit 10

Choice Hotels International and Ceres Enterprises plan a Cambria Suites, a new brand, at 13500 Tegler Drive, just off I-69 Exit 10 in Noblesville. The four-story hotel would have 130 suites.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070605/LOCAL0104/706050450

http://cmsimg.indystar.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Dato=20070605&Kategori=LOCAL0104&Lopenr=706050450&Ref=AR&Q=80&MaxW=500&MaxH=400&Site=BG&Q=80&Border=0&Title=0

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070606/LOCAL010203/706060336/1015/LOCAL01

June 6, 2007

Builders to buy in, official says
Many firms are interested in residential, retail parts, says attorney for developer

By John Tuohy
john.tuohy@indystar.com

With the largest remaining obstacle out of the way, the developer of the proposed RiverPlace place project on 96th Street plans to parcel it out to experienced builders eager for a piece of the action.

"They will likely do a joint venture on the residential side and a joint venture on the retail side," said Steve Hardin, the attorney for Centre Properties, of Indianapolis. "They (Centre) will be the master contractor."

The Fishers Town Council approved a zoning change Monday that would let Centre build a mixed-use development off Allisonville Road.

The land use victory followed an initial one two years ago when Centre obtained a permit from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources to fill in 15 acres of land on the White River.

Even before Monday's vote, however, the company had been in talks with other builders about selling off some of its stake in the project.

"Numerous firms have expressed an interest, and there have been discussions," said Hardin, who declined to name the companies. "When the time is appropriate, we will announce that."

Centre envisions a $500 million development with stores, restaurants, specialty shops, homes and apartments. The complex could include two hotels, a pair of high-rise buildings, a public park and extensive pedestrian walkways.

Because Centre had previously developed only strip malls, its decision to seek partners was anticipated by town officials.

"They haven't done a lot of residential. I think it is likely they won't develop the entire thing," Fishers Plan Director Wes Bucher said last week.
Centre has refused to disclose information about its financial health, so it's unknown whether it had the wherewithal to develop RiverPlace on its own in the first place.

In approving the zoning change 4-1 Monday despite vocal opposition, Town Council members were adamant that growth was vital to keeping Fishers vibrant and relevant.

Officials generally agreed that mixing homes with commercial properties helps prevent the businesses from dying.

"What we were looking at in this location before this was 'Big Box Heaven with a fence at the river,' '' said Bucher. "We must change to meet the new realities."

A development that attracts young professional homeowners or empty-nesters -- as RiverPlace envisions -- is even better.

"These are people who do not have a lot of children,'' said council member Charles White. "This will add to the tax base and help our school system."

The high-rise development will join several large-scale, mixed-use projects under construction in the sprawling suburb of 62,000. And town officials say there is a lot more to be done.

At least 27 other residential projects are under way, ranging from 13 to 1,950 units. In addition, 18 areas have been highlighted as next in line for commercial development.

The town also has plans for 445 acres where Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport now sits. The town has been trying to coax the airport -- just down the road from RiverPlace, at 106th Street -- to move for years, and recently commissioned a $150,000 study to see if a new home in Anderson would work

Bucher said the town is 40 percent developed commercially and about half developed residentially. He said homes should be built out by 2025 and businesses by about 2057, when the population will top out at an estimated 120,000.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070606/LOCAL010203/706060352/1015/LOCAL01

June 6, 2007

Dan McFeely
Intersection isn't Fishers' worst

Let's talk about traffic for a moment.

I have heard it said the intersection of 96th and Allisonville Road is the "worst in Fishers."

There have been warnings that the RiverPlace development on this corner will cause all kinds of added traffic congestion.

I know this corner well. My wife and I used to live about a mile north in an apartment complex, and we've been longtime Castleton shoppers.

The intersection used to be horrible until the expansion several years ago when the new bridge was opened over the river (remember the dead end and the old white house on the corner?) -- and turn lanes and arrows were added.

These days, I agree the intersection is among the busiest -- but certainly not the worst in Fishers or on the Northside of Indianapolis.

You want to talk bad?

In Fishers, try 126th Street and Lantern Road -- an outdated, ugly four-way stop that features long, long lines of stop-n-go traffic during rush hour. People dart through the intersection when it's not their turn. Tempers often flare.

In Castleton, how about the intersection behind the mall (in front of Costco)? No left-turn signals, vague turn lanes, impatient shoppers who just left the mall. Talk about dangerous.

Remember this: A busy intersection does not always mean a dangerous one. With proper engineering and a signal system that responds to existing traffic, even the most congested crossroads can move traffic safely.

This is not a ringing endorsement of RiverPlace. I am interested in seeing the specific plans for future traffic improvements.

I still have doubts about the impact to river flooding for folks up and down the river.

But I just cringe when people play the "traffic card" whenever they oppose a project -- especially at an intersection that is busy, but not the "worst" in the area.

But I just cringe when people play the "traffic card" whenever they oppose a project -- especially at an intersection that is busy, but not the "worst" in the area.

Seconded!

Big retailer could come to Greenwood

Greenwood Mayor Charles Henderson said he’s close to completing a deal for a major tourist-attracting retail store on more than 100 acres just east of Interstate 65 at County Line Road.

Henderson said the store would boost the city’s economy and the development would include plans for a major hotel and water park. The mayor wouldn't identify the retailer, but outdoor megastore chain Cabela's previously has tried to locate at the same I-65 exit.
Cabela's spokesman James Powell declined to comment.

Henderson said he’s been working for more than two years on a deal with the unidentified retailer. A news conference to announce the development is scheduled for 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Greenwood City Building.

“It gives us an attraction that puts our name on the map,” the mayor said. “We’re a destination for retail shopping. It will enhance that. It will enhance our ability to attract high-quality motels and restaurants to that area...We’re going to develop that corner with a tourism theme.”

Cabela's is a chain of outdoor megastores that each hold well over 100,000 square feet of space and usually feature exhibits such as a massive aquarium. They tend to be regional tourist attractions that draw visitors from hours away and spur development of nearby hotels and restaurants.

The Nebraska-based retailer plans to open its first Indiana store in Hammond this year.

Bio-life firm might bring 170 jobs to Muncie

MUNCIE -- A $70 million bio-life facility creating as many as 170 jobs is apparently coming to fast-growing western Delaware County.

The Metropolitan Plan Commission on Thursday night unanimously rezoned another 35 acres for variety business use at the southwest corner of Ind. 332 and Nebo Road, across the highway from two large retailers in Meijer and Menards and growing commercial development.
Attorney Raymond Brassart, representing land owners Anderson University as trustee of Jayne Grandison charitable trust, revealed the type of development at Thursday's meeting, but not its name because of a confidentiality agreement signed with owners, developers and their agents.

The undisclosed buyer does have an option on the property, Brassart said, subject to the rezoning, which will be considered for final approval by the Delaware County Board of Commissioners on June 18.

Terry Murphy, vice president of economic development for the Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce, also attended Thursday's meeting with Steve Maines, the ADM Real Estate agent handling the deal. None spoke or would comment afterward.

Murphy also would not confirm that Indianapolis-based Clarian Health might be the health-care provider building at the site.

Last month, Jon Mills, Clarian's public relations manager, told The Star Press he had not "heard anything at this point" about possible expansion into the Muncie area.

"We're always looking at opportunities and exploring options where we might be able to fulfill a need or fill a void in health care," Mills said at that time.

Clarian's reach already extends beyond Indianapolis and the Indy metro area.

"We're building a hospital in Lafayette right now," Mills said. Last month, the hospital also announced it had bought 160 acres of land in Johnson County. It already has hospitals in towns surrounding Indianapolis, including Avon and Carmel.

Brassart did say that other retail development might be involved.

In 2002, the MPC and Delaware County Commissioners rezoned 38 acres at the southwest corner of the intersection for commercial development amid objections from nearby residents and urban planners.

More than 20 people living in neighborhoods west of the proposed rezoning off Delaware County Road 500-W attended Thursday's meeting.

One property owner objected to continued urban sprawl along Ind. 332 while another raised concerns about the impact to his property with commercial zoning just 1,400 feet away.

The plan commission -- including John Brooke, president of the board of commissioners; Muncie City Council member Alison Quirk and Julius Anderson, a member of the Muncie Community School Board -- gave the zoning change a favorable recommendation in an 8-0 vote.

"This is substantial," said commission member Lance Lillie.

Brooke and fellow commissioners Larry Bledsoe and Tom Bennington will have the final say on the rezoning.

The area is outside Muncie's city limits and abuts Yorktown's town limits. A settlement of a dispute between Muncie and Yorktown governments would allow Muncie to target the area for annexation.

Big retailer could come to Greenwood

Greenwood Mayor Charles Henderson said he’s close to completing a deal for a major tourist-attracting retail store on more than 100 acres just east of Interstate 65 at County Line Road.

Henderson said the store would boost the city’s economy and the development would include plans for a major hotel and water park. The mayor wouldn't identify the retailer, but outdoor megastore chain Cabela's previously has tried to locate at the same I-65 exit.
Cabela's spokesman James Powell declined to comment.

Henderson said he’s been working for more than two years on a deal with the unidentified retailer. A news conference to announce the development is scheduled for 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Greenwood City Building.

“It gives us an attraction that puts our name on the map,” the mayor said. “We’re a destination for retail shopping. It will enhance that. It will enhance our ability to attract high-quality motels and restaurants to that area...We’re going to develop that corner with a tourism theme.”

Cabela's is a chain of outdoor megastores that each hold well over 100,000 square feet of space and usually feature exhibits such as a massive aquarium. They tend to be regional tourist attractions that draw visitors from hours away and spur development of nearby hotels and restaurants.

The Nebraska-based retailer plans to open its first Indiana store in Hammond this year.

I knew that when the I-65 interchange with County Line was opened this area would explode with development. For the longest time all that was there was a Kroger.

wow that will be huge for greenwood

I don't understand. A store that has an aquarium?

http://www.wthr.com/Global/story.asp?S=6632951


theres an article on greenwood park mall i thought was interesting

By the way, the rendering of this is on the Fishers web site. I was pretty underwhelmed. Pretty generic commercial structures surrounding large interior surface lots. Groceries and other non-destination retail.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070608/LOCAL0102/706080343/1177/LOCAL010203

June 8, 2007

Vision for town takes form
Development would transform area east of Municipal Center

By John Tuohy
john.tuohy@indystar.com

The first phase of the future $100 million new downtown in Fishers will involve six square blocks south of 116th and east of the railroad tracks.

The area would include an outdoor pavilion and 15 businesses, including a grocery, bookstore and an adult education campus with a high-concept children's playground -- in addition to 28 luxury homes, 40 loft-style condos and 22 townhouses that would be scattered throughout the site.

Those details are part of a preliminary leasing plan posted by developer Fairmount Properties of Cleveland on its Web site.

The town plans to hire Fairmount to head up the project. Town officials have not received a copy of the plan but have perused it on the Web site.

"This is something that they used to show people at the retailers convention in Las Vegas,'' said Town Manager Gary Huff. "They want to create interest in it. It doesn't concern us that they haven't presented anything to us yet. This is their concept when and if they do anything."

The town is in talks with the developer to raze 125 homes and businesses east of the Municipal Center to make way for a shopping and residential district. Fairmount plans restaurants, specialty shops, cultural attractions, apartments, condos and homes that would draw visitors from the region.

The developer is just beginning negotiations with property owners to buy their land.

The leasing plan calls for 50,000 square feet of specialty fashion shops by national chains, 35,000 square feet of restaurants and 27,00 square feet of local or regional specialty shops

Twenty-eight second- and third-floor apartments above businesses would be mixed in.

The leasing plan does not identify any greenways or parkland, which Fairmount said would be a pivotal part of the project.

Phase Two would be on the north side of 116th, between the tracks and Lantern Road.

'They might do an amphitheater, art center or more retail there," Huff said.
A representative of Fairmount could not be reached for comment.

Under the plan, the grocery, bookstore and pavilion would be on 116th, and the adult education campus would be south of South Street between Commercial Drive and Lantern.

Much of the land is set aside for parking, which would be behind buildings fronting 116th, South, Lantern and Moore Street.

I drove around Fishers and Noblesville on Thursday night to check out the progress on the 146th Street and Exit 10 construction.

I was disappointed that both projects were not further along. The Saxony development is in full swing.

INDOT will be FORCED to widen I-69 from exit 10 to 116th Street once Saxony becomes operational.

Bio-life firm might bring 170 jobs to Muncie

MUNCIE -- A $70 million bio-life facility creating as many as 170 jobs is apparently coming to fast-growing western Delaware County.

The Metropolitan Plan Commission on Thursday night unanimously rezoned another 35 acres for variety business use at the southwest corner of Ind. 332 and Nebo Road, across the highway from two large retailers in Meijer and Menards and growing commercial development.
Attorney Raymond Brassart, representing land owners Anderson University as trustee of Jayne Grandison charitable trust, revealed the type of development at Thursday's meeting, but not its name because of a confidentiality agreement signed with owners, developers and their agents.

The undisclosed buyer does have an option on the property, Brassart said, subject to the rezoning, which will be considered for final approval by the Delaware County Board of Commissioners on June 18.

Terry Murphy, vice president of economic development for the Muncie-Delaware County Chamber of Commerce, also attended Thursday's meeting with Steve Maines, the ADM Real Estate agent handling the deal. None spoke or would comment afterward.

Murphy also would not confirm that Indianapolis-based Clarian Health might be the health-care provider building at the site.

Last month, Jon Mills, Clarian's public relations manager, told The Star Press he had not "heard anything at this point" about possible expansion into the Muncie area.

"We're always looking at opportunities and exploring options where we might be able to fulfill a need or fill a void in health care," Mills said at that time.

Clarian's reach already extends beyond Indianapolis and the Indy metro area.

"We're building a hospital in Lafayette right now," Mills said. Last month, the hospital also announced it had bought 160 acres of land in Johnson County. It already has hospitals in towns surrounding Indianapolis, including Avon and Carmel.

Brassart did say that other retail development might be involved.

In 2002, the MPC and Delaware County Commissioners rezoned 38 acres at the southwest corner of the intersection for commercial development amid objections from nearby residents and urban planners.

More than 20 people living in neighborhoods west of the proposed rezoning off Delaware County Road 500-W attended Thursday's meeting.

One property owner objected to continued urban sprawl along Ind. 332 while another raised concerns about the impact to his property with commercial zoning just 1,400 feet away.

The plan commission -- including John Brooke, president of the board of commissioners; Muncie City Council member Alison Quirk and Julius Anderson, a member of the Muncie Community School Board -- gave the zoning change a favorable recommendation in an 8-0 vote.

"This is substantial," said commission member Lance Lillie.

Brooke and fellow commissioners Larry Bledsoe and Tom Bennington will have the final say on the rezoning.

The area is outside Muncie's city limits and abuts Yorktown's town limits. A settlement of a dispute between Muncie and Yorktown governments would allow Muncie to target the area for annexation.

I wonder if these two items are connected.

Deerfield Twp. to lose 81 jobs (Warren County Ohio)

"DEERFIELD TWP. — A pharmacy business in this quickly growing Warren County community is relocating, officials told the state Thursday.

And the move will mean the city will lose more than 80 jobs.

WellPoint Inc.'s Precision Rx specialty pharmacy division, located at 4605 Duke Drive, will move its operation and all 81 employees of the division on Aug. 1, according to a notice sent to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services."
http://www.journal-news.com/hp/content/oh/story/news/local/2007/06/11/hjn061107precisionweb.html

From the June 11th Indy Star:

Construction crews building a four-lane bridge where Olio Road crosses Geist Reservoir should complete the eastern half of the span next month.

Hamilton County Highway Department Bridge Engineer Matt Knight said steel beams were recently laid for the 216-foot-long section, and Force Construction crews will soon begin building the bridge deck.

"The overall project is to be completed in December of this year," Knight said.

"They'll have to finish the eastern span, and then they'll build the road approaches on either side and switch traffic over to that eastern half."

As a major county thoroughfare, Olio Road has been widened to four lanes from 113th Street north to Ind. 238.

"We have plans to eventually run the four lanes all the way to 96th Street," Knight said. "That project is actually designed and all the right of way is in place. We're just waiting to try and find some funding to build that."

Current construction of the concrete bridge and asphalt approaches is being funded with 80 percent federal money and 20 percent county dollars. The project cost is about $6 million.

The design will extend the four-lane route south of 113th Street to near 104th Street at the entrance to the public boat ramp on the west side of Olio.

The existing two-lane bridge will be dismantled to create the finished 82-foot wide structure that will connect the segments of roadway.

"It's going to be a little bit tricky in that they'll have to figure out a way to remove the bridge without dropping it into the reservoir," Knight said.

"But that's something we did on the other bridge on Fall Creek Road, so it can be done."

From the June 11th Indy Star:

GREENWOOD -- Outdoors retail giant Cabela's announced today it plans to build a 125,000-square-foot store on 21 acres in Greenwood -- if all goes well with negotiations.

The store will be located along Interstate 65, bound by Graham Road and County Line Road and will create 200 jobs in the city, according to a release.

The store could be open by 2008, as long as talks are successfully concluded, the release said.

The store would be part of a 100-acre entertainment destination that would include a hotel and water park next to the outdoors megastore.

Greenwood Mayor Charles Henderson has said the city will hold a news conference to announce an unnamed development at 4 p.m. Tuesday at the Greenwood City Building. A City Council meeting will follow at 6 p.m. The mayor would not name the retailer.

Cabela's stores each hold significantly more than 100,000 square feet of space and usually feature exhibits such as a massive aquarium. They tend to be regional tourist attractions that draw visitors from miles away and spur development of nearby hotels and restaurants.

The Nebraska-based retailer plans to open its first Indiana store in Hammond in October, after breaking ground in January.

"We're very pleased we're close to bringing the Cabela's retail store experience to our loyal Indiana customers," Cabela's President and CEO Dennis Highby said. "We already have thousands of great customers throughout the entire state and region who enjoy Indiana's abundant outdoor recreational opportunities, and we're excited we could soon be more accessible to them than ever before."

i wonder what hotel chain it will be? my guess is Great Wolf lodge

ragerunner, I wonder if that might actually be related to the pharmacy operation that Anthem (?) is putting in over by the airport.

ragerunner, I wonder if that might actually be related to the pharmacy operation that Anthem (?) is putting in over by the airport.

You may be right.

i wonder what hotel chain it will be? my guess is Great Wolf lodge

It will be a Splash Universe Park. I think this is great because Splash Universe Parks sell daily park passes for about $20.00 (Great Wolf doesn't). So even if you don't want to stay the night at the hotel you can still go to the water park. Something fun to do in the dead of winter.

will indy area ever get a Bass Pro Shop or Ikea

Ikea, yes (when they make their second round to get more saturation in certain markets), Bass Pro maybe. Personally I think Cabela's are better themed with bigger aquariums etc...

Ikea seems like an ideal fit for the Woodfield Crossing project, if that actually gets off the ground.

Ikea seems like an ideal fit for the Woodfield Crossing project, if that actually gets off the ground.

That an IKEA store would be ideal for the Market Square Areana development. Preferebly, with the KK proposal! :cheers2:

Here is my wish list for road improvements in suburban Indianapolis:


Hendricks County:

1) Widen SR 267 from US 40 to I-74

2) Construct US 36 bypass around Danville

3) Widen US 36 to six lanes from SR 267 to I-465

4) Widen CR 100 (10th Street) from the rail underpass (just west of Ben Davis HS) to SR 267.



Hamilton County:

1) Widen 146th Street from US 421 to Spring Mill Road

2) Widen 116th Street from US 421 to US 31

3) Widen US 421 from 121st Street to SR 32

4) Widen I-69 to six lanes from 116th Street to Exit 10

5) Widen I-69 to 8 lanes from 116th Street to I-465



Southern Marion County

1) Widen Southport Road from Bluff Road to I-65

2) Extend the Ameriplex Parkway from SR 67 to SR 37 and connect to Southport Road.


Hancock County

1) Widen Olio/Mt. Comfort Road to four lanes from I-70 to 96th Street

2) Widen US 36 from McCordsville to I-69 in Pendleton

Here is my wish for road improvements. None, for a lets a couple of years. Instead funnel the money into mass transit. It seems only fair since mass transit has received almost no funding in the last 30 years. I understand the need for roads but the time has come to at least give mass transit a little piece of the pie.

I thought I would post this here, since Columbus is part of the CMSA for Indy. I would also add that they have restored almost all of their downtown historic buildings and surrounding neighborhoods. The city and developers are now planning and starting construction on several new mixed use, hotel, and retail project downtown. If you have not been to Columbus recently it is well worth the drive.

Columbus Featured in New York Times Travel Section

"First The Tonight Show mentioned Columbus this week, now the Bartholomew County community has made it onto the front page of the travel section in the New York Times. Travel writer Matt Gross describes Columbus as "the most incredible collection of modern architecture in the Midwest, outside Chicago."
http://www.insideindianabusiness.com/newsitem.asp?ID=23873

Taking the two-hour architectural bus tour of Columbus is a must. It is simply one of the handful of top legitimate tourist sites in the state.

This is only worthy to beput on here because it is the FIRST one in the nation to do so... And thank god!!

Smoking banned at Indy airport

The Indianapolis International Airport board voted unanimously today to make the airport smoke-free by Jan. 1.

The only exception will the construction site of the new terminal, though that area will become smoke-free by no later than Sept. 30, 2008, or as soon as that building is enclosed.

Contracts on the project allow for smoking by construction workers and would be costly and difficult to rework, so the board opted to make the exception rather than make the entire facility a smoke-free zone.

“By implementing this ordinance, you will be making a commitment to the health of your employees and this community,” Dr. Virginia Caine, director of the Marion County Health Department, told the nine-member board before the vote.

The airport will be the first in the U.S. to ban smoking on all its property, meaning smokers wouldn’t be able to walk outside to have a cigarette.

The new policy will affect not only passengers, but also people who work at the airport, from Transportation Security Administration TSA officials to concessionaires to pilots.

Interesting story, particularly as the initial site plan put on the Fishers web site looked like it contained a lot of generic retail boxes.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070618/LOCAL0102/706180386

June 18, 2007

No big box in project, Fishers official vows
By John Tuohy
john.tuohy@indystar.com

FISHERS, Ind. -- An Ohio firm chosen to develop a new $100 million downtown here is embroiled in a lawsuit in a Virginia town after officials there learned a Wal-Mart had unexpectedly been added to plans for a quaint downtown.
The project
• What: Fishers Town Center.
• Where: Off 116th Street, east of Town Hall and west of I-69.
• The early plan: Fifteen businesses, 28 luxury homes, 40 loft-style condos, 22 townhouses; outdoor pavilion with leafy walkways; adult education campus; high-concept children's playground.

"They never said big box," said Chris Lawrence, an assistant to the Blacksburg, Va., town manager, a contention that developer Fairmount Properties disputes.

"The ideas being illustrated had nothing to do with big box."

Blacksburg, like Fishers, was anticipating a pedestrian-friendly mix of specialty shops, restaurants and homes. But when Fairmount submitted its site plan nearly a year after getting a zoning change to move the project forward, a 186,000-square-foot Wal-Mart was included.

Now, Blacksburg and Fairmount are suing each other, and the Town Council has passed an ordinance that could kill the proposed Wal-Mart and cripple the project.

The developer, which specializes in rebuilding struggling downtowns, said it has no plans for a big-box retailer for Fishers.

"Fishers doesn't need a big box," said Randy Ruttenberg, the principal of Fairmount. "It would be way out of context."

Fishers Town Council President Scott Faultless said he wasn't troubled by the Blacksburg case.

"It doesn't concern me," Faultless said. "It is a zoning dispute, and that is a local matter. There will be plenty of time (for us) to scrutinize them. We will get copies of all their other development agreements and look at them."

The Blacksburg plan

When Fairmount pitched its plan, called "First and Main," to Blacksburg's Town Council about a year ago, it was as if Norman Rockwell had taken pen to paper.

"Upscale and fun," wrote the firm. "A variety of delightful public spaces . . . excitement and an active setting for retail and commercial activity."
Fairmount has built a solid reputation for turning blighted areas into vital living and shopping districts. The firm has completed 17 projects in the Midwest and is recognized for its work in the "new urbanism" movement.

"They had a good reputation, and they've done some beautiful things," said David Britt of Citizens First for Blacksburg, a local government watchdog group. "We thought we had a good thing going. What was not to like?"

The Blacksburg Town Council approved a zoning change in May 2006 that would allow Fairmount to move forward with a plan for 40 acres of stores, townhouses and condos "for active adults, retirees and young professionals."
In March, however, Fairmount submitted a site plan that included a "major retailer" instead of homes.

Many citizens felt betrayed, and the council unanimously passed an ordinance May 30 that would limit retail buildings to 80,000 square feet without special permission by the council.

"No one on the Town Council imagined they would do this," said Dan Breslau, president of Blacksburg United for Responsible Growth, a group formed to fight the big box. "What they described and what they have in the current site plan are not the same thing."

Fairmount filed a lawsuit against the town even before the ordinance passed, asking a circuit court judge to declare it illegal. The company maintains that the rezoning granted by the town a year earlier clearly gives it the right to build a giant retailer.

"There was no limitation on size," Ruttenberg said. "We believe we are delivering precisely what we said we would deliver."

Further, he said, company officials mentioned the possibility of a large retailer on several occasions.

But Lawrence said he can't remember anyone from Fairmount doing so.
Lawrence and others who oppose the Wal-Mart deal say it was a mistake to rely on fuzzy artist's renderings and general descriptions before entering development agreements.

"You need to be sure that the zoning we have in place is what we really want," Lawrence said. The renderings, he said, "give the impression that this is what you will get, though they are non-binding."

Breslau said the council should have been more careful. "Obviously they left it too open ended," he said.

Fishers in early stage

Fishers has not yet reached the point of zoning land for its project.

Its Town Council has not taken any formal action on its downtown plan except to adopt a resolution supporting Fairmount's proposal.

The company outlined a complex of small shops and restaurants, pricey townhomes and lofts, and walking trails and parkland.

About 125 mostly older homes and front porch businesses east of the Municipal Center off 116th Street would need to be bought and destroyed to clear the land. No homes have been purchased, and no zoning change has been requested.

Ruttenberg said there are major differences between the Blacksburg and Fishers projects, most of them economic. Fishers is more affluent, is located near a major highway and already has a number of large retailers nearby.
"Blacksburg doesn't have the demographics to support only small retail shops," he said. "The idea of a large retailer is to drive people to the project. Fishers doesn't need that."

Faultless said the council was too experienced with large-scale development, and too careful, to get blindsided by a loophole that would allow something unwanted to slip through.

"There will not be a big box here," he said. "We will examine size, landscaping, elevation. We will have a very specific agreement."

From the IndyStar:

One of the newest hotel concepts for the hip, upscale and tech-oriented traveler is under construction in Plainfield.

Cambria Suites, the latest brand from Maryland-based Choice Hotels, is going up in the rapidly growing cluster of hotels and extended stay lodges at Ind. 267 and I-70 on the southern edge of Plainfield.

The interchange already has nearly 900 hotel rooms, with at least three more new hotels proposed for construction plus expansion plans announced for an existing Holiday Inn Express.

The area is booming with hotels because it is minutes from the new $1 billion passenger terminal going up at Indianapolis International Airport. And it is surrounded by the 25 million square feet of office and distribution centers in Plainfield, which draw a steady stream of business travelers.

The Cambria Suites hotel, a $9 million development, will be a four-story, 103-suite facility including a casual dining and gathering area with a full barista coffee bar and 24-hour food service for guests.

It also has a state-of-the-art fitness center and resort-style indoor swimming pool with an outdoor patio. The plans also show a 24-hour-a-day convenience store with freshly prepared salads and sandwiches and similar fare.

The hotel will be owned by Evergreen Motor Lodges, which also owns Super 8 and Wingate hotels nearby on Gateway Drive, also on the northwest corner of the I-70 and Ind. 267 interchange.

“We are very excited to be building a Cambria Suites hotel in Plainfield for both the business and leisure travelers looking for stylish suites, amenities and services,” said Evergreen Vice President Venkatta Nattam.

Among the niche markets he hopes to tap will be the airline flight crews on overnight stays.

“Cambria can be a full-service hotel with food services at all hours, like the flight crews require. None of the other hotels in Plainfield have that service at this time so the pilots are going to hotels downtown,” Nattam said Monday.

Relocation of the airport’s main entrance toward the Plainfield interchange with I-70 means “the airport is coming toward us. And Plainfield is growing very fast,” he said.

Cambria is the newest and most expensive brand from Choice Hotels, which has more than 5,300 locations and more than 435,000 rooms in the U.S. and 40 countries and territories. Another 860 hotels are under development including approximately 50 Cambria Suites, said Heather Soule, spokeswoman for Choice.

The first Cambria Suites opened last April in Boise, Idaho, and the second will be in Green Bay, Wis., in August.

Another Cambria Suites is planned in the Indianapolis metro region at Exit 10 off I-69, in the Saxony development of homes, retailing, business and medical facilities booming in Fishers and Noblesville. It is due to open by early 2009.

Typical rates are in the $99- to $150-a-night range.

“Much like the location close to the Indianapolis airport, we have another Cambria Suites going up near Baltimore International,” she said. “These are targeted to the Generation X business and leisure travelers looking for high speed wired and wireless (Internet) connections and two flat panel televisions and MP3 player jacks in every room.”

“This is a lifestyle hotel. In Plainfield, it is also close to the Metropolis lifestyle mall,” she added.

Soule said the Cambria Suites concept is focused on the young, hip lifestyle with an emphasis on technology that is amazing.

That’s a little different from the other Choice brands that focus on price, including Comfort Inn, Quality Inn, Sleep Inn, Econo Lodge, Rodeway Inn and MainStay Suites.

“Travelers who expect their hotel to reflect their lifestyle from upscale amenities and stylish surroundings to contemporary food and beverage, will feel at home at the Cambria Suites,” said William Edmundson, vice president of Choice.

I fully expect Plainfield to turn into the west side's Carmel. The airport expansion and the outer beltway are going to bring and have brought a lot of development and jobs to the city. The city is expanding its trail system and with the increase in tax revenues, I anticipate Plainfield trying to develop a true downtown like Carmel.

I am not sold on moving streets away from the Speedway. One of the great charms of that facility is that it is basically plopped down in the middle of the neighborhood. Making it more standoffish like a typical modern stadium surrounded by acres of parking would be a step backwards, IMO.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070620/LOCAL1804/706200463/-1/topstoriesrecache

http://cmsimg.indystar.com/apps/pbcsi.dll/bilde?Dato=20070620&Kategori=LOCAL1804&Lopenr=706200463&Ref=AR&Q=80&MaxW=500&MaxH=400&Site=BG&Q=80&Border=0&Title=0

June 20, 2007

Speedway's drive to revitalize
Plan would shift 16th Street, add 2 roundabouts

By Josh Duke
josh.duke@indystar.com

Speedway arose as the vision of four auto industry pioneers nearly 100 years ago.

Pictured: Preliminary plans for an overhaul of the area around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway would put a roundabout at the three-way intersection of Crawfordsville Road with 16th and Main streets. - Rendering provided by American Structurepoint Inc
CHANGING SPEEDWAY
Here are key elements of the Speedway redevelopment plan announced Tuesday:

• Connect 16th and Main streets with Crawfordsville Road, creating a new intersection with a roundabout at the southwest corner of the track.

• Reroute 16th Street southeast along an old rail line to create a second roundabout at Holt Road.

• Create a campuslike setting adjacent to the track with racing-related tourist attractions, possibly including the Indianapolis Motor Speedway museum.

• Establish a Downtown atmosphere with multistory residential and retail buildings on each side of Main Street.

• Form an industrial area near 10th Street and Holt Road to attract racing-related businesses.

TOWN OF SPEEDWAY AT A GLANCE

Location: About five miles northwest of Downtown Indianapolis, in western Marion County.

• History: Laid out a few years after the 1909 opening of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway by four automobile-industry entrepreneurs: James Allison, Carl Fisher, Arthur Newby and Frank Wheeler. Incorporated in 1926 and grew rapidly through industrialization during World War II.

• Government: Run by a five-member town council. John McCurtain is town manager.

• Population: 12,881.

• Ethnicity: White, 83.2 percent; black, 11.9 percent.

• High school diploma or higher: 88 percent.

• Bachelor's degree or higher: 22.4 percent.

• Median household income: $37,713.

• Median home value: $98,700.

• Major employers: Speedway Community Schools; Indianapolis Motor Speedway; Praxair; Allison Transmission.

Sources: 2000 U.S. census; Star archives

Now, town leaders hope to embark on a new direction that calls for moving major streets, bringing in more retail and industry, and creating a racing-related theme to draw tourists and businesses.

"When (Speedway founder) Carl Fisher laid out his design for a 21/2-mile track and automotive industrial area here, I'm sure it was a bold concept at the time that people probably laughed at and never thought would succeed," said Speedway Redevelopment Commission President Scott Harris.

"After another 70 years, we have another bold vision."
Harris said the proposed road improvements alone could cost at least $20 million. Town officials hope to foster public-private funding but say they could sell bonds.

The public will be allowed to comment on the proposal at a redevelopment commission meeting in late July. Pending commission approval, any final decision would then be made by the five-member Town Council. Town leaders hope to have many of the changes in place by 2011, for the 100th anniversary of the 500-Mile Race.

The plan, in development for more than two years, has drawn wide support from the Town Council and area businesses, including the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

Speedway's plan is the latest in a series of major improvements announced recently by Central Indiana communities. Within the past five weeks, Fishers proposed a new, $100 million town center that would include an outdoor pavilion, businesses and homes, while Greenwood unveiled plans to attract a 125,000-square-foot Cabela's outfitter.

On Tuesday, Speedway officials and planners from American Structurepoint showed more than 800 residents and business owners gathered at Speedway High School the master plan for 350 acres south of the racetrack.

Town officials launched the plan to overhaul the town's decaying Main Street, which has seen an exodus of businesses in recent decades, and to compete with cities such as Charlotte, N.C., and Daytona, Fla., for racing tourism dollars.

The most dramatic changes in Speedway's plan call for rerouting major streets and overhauling the business district along Main Street.

The intersection of 16th Street with Crawfordsville and Georgetown roads would be moved slightly northwest to form a new roundabout that aligns with Main Street.

Planners also are calling for changes to Georgetown, in part because of concerns raised by the Department of Homeland Security. The most likely option would be to close the road between 16th and 25th streets, opening it to pedestrian traffic only.

The plan also suggests shifting 16th Street to the southeast, eventually meeting Holt Road in a second roundabout.

The space where 16th Street currently touches the track complex would be converted into a campuslike setting for racing-related tourist attractions, including the possibility of moving the Indianapolis Motor Speedway museum to a more prominent location outside the track or adding a hotel or conference center.

Harris said IMS owns most of that land and would control its future.
"We are working with them and exchanging ideas of what that might be," Harris said. "They are very much on board with this. It would provide them with an opportunity they've never had."

IMS President Joie Chitwood, who attended Tuesday's unveiling, would not go into specifics about the land but said the track backs the town's plan.
"We support them, and we look forward to being a part of this future," he said. "We are excited to see what this could become."

The plan also highlights sidewalks along major thoroughfares to make the area more pedestrian-friendly. Paths designed to handle bicycle and in-line skate traffic would tie into the area's trail system.

The business district along Main Street would undergo major changes, with the hope of creating a thriving area similar to Downtown Indianapolis. Plans call for multistory buildings on each side of the street with both retail and residential uses.

The southeast corner of the development between Polco Street and Holt Road would be designated for racing-related industry. Planners hope to entice racing teams or manufacturers. Harris said some already are interested.

"We've had significant discussions with two Indy Racing teams, one already located in Indianapolis and the other out of town," he said. "They have seen the plans and are very excited."

I have always felt that the Speedway area has been under utilized. It really has the potential to be a major tourist area year around.

Arenn, I understand your concern about shifting 16th street away from the southside of the track. But where are you finding that there will be massive parking lots surrounding the track? I thought the point of moving 16th street was to build mixed use buildings around a public plaza.

I was looking at the aerial renderings ablerock posted in the main Indy thread. I may have mis-interpreted them, however.

I love the plan. BUILD IT BUILD IT BUILD IT!!!!:cheers:

I love the vision the Town of Speedway has! I really hope they get the support of the MDC and the planning staff downtown. If so, yes, this will do wonders for that area!

I recently found out that the state doesn't plan to widen I-69 from SR 37 to SR238 until 2016!! That is CRAZY!! Saxony will be online in 3-4 years and the amount of traffic on that stretch of the interstate will EXPLODE!!

The state can't afford to wait until five years AFTER Saxony comes on line to widen that portion of the interstate.

:bash: :bash:

I recently found out that the state doesn't plan to widen I-69 from SR 37 to SR238 until 2016!! That is CRAZY!! Saxony will be online in 3-4 years and the amount of traffic on that stretch of the interstate will EXPLODE!!

The state can't afford to wait until five years AFTER Saxony comes on line to widen that portion of the interstate.

:bash: :bash:


Some of you may recall I am from Anderson originally. I headed up to A-town on Sunday at 12:30 and went right up I-69. The traffic was horrible; bumper to bumper and I never went faster than 65MPH from Casleton to Anderson. They desperately need to add 2 additional lanes each direction, at a minimum, long before 2016! With the new Hamilton Town Centre at Exit 10, the northeast corridors largest subdivision, Summer Lake at Exit 13, Pendleton booming at Exit 19, and the ENORMOUS Nestle Plant at Exit 22. This is all before Anderson's busiest exit at Exit 26 and then Chesterfield-Daleville; Anderson-Muncie at Exit 32.

Related to the recent Speedway revitalization announcement:

From the June 22 Indianapolis Star

19 acres in Speedway set for development

By Bruce C. Smith

A little-noticed, 19-acre site on the western edge of Speedway near the I-465 interchange at Crawfordsville Road has a new owner with plans for a development of hotels, retailing and motorsports businesses.

Brent Benge, managing partner of Crawfordsville Road Partners LLC, said today the group of local investors has closed on the purchase of the land on the southeast corner of the interchange of I-465 and Crawfordsville Road.
The heavily wooded site is behind a Marsh grocery store shopping center on Crawfordsville Road. And Eagle Creek borders the southside of the property.
The site is outside of the Speedway town limits and it is already zoned by Indianapolis for retailing and motorsports.

But Benge, who graduated from Speedway High School in 1996, said the developers intend to coordinate their project with the town’s plans announced this week for a dramatic redevelopment of the 16th Street and Crawfordsville area around the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

“Our site is perfectly situated to appeal to motorsports businesses between the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and O’Reilly Raceway Park,” he said.

“It also makes perfect sense as the site for hotels and other businesses that would want to be at the gateway and the main entrance to the greatest city in the world for motorsports,” Benge said.

Ross Reller, vice president of Meridian Real Estate which will help market the site for development, said it also will benefit from the state’s reconstruction of the interchange.

The Indiana Department of Transportation has a multi-year project dubbed Accelerate 465 underway to widen the western leg of the city’s outer belt and to rebuild the main interchanges including the Speedway exit.

“It has been confusing and sometimes dangerous with I-465, Crawfordsville Road, High School, Debonair Lane, and U.S. 136 all coming together,” he said. “That will be improved by InDOT’s announced plans to rebuild the interchange over the next several years.”

“And the effect of the state’s plans to extend High School southward will give us a direct driveway into the site,” he added.

http://i161.photobucket.com/albums/t206/ablerock/aerial3.jpg

Some of you may recall I am from Anderson originally. I headed up to A-town on Sunday at 12:30 and went right up I-69. The traffic was horrible; bumper to bumper and I never went faster than 65MPH from Casleton to Anderson. They desperately need to add 2 additional lanes each direction, at a minimum, long before 2016! With the new Hamilton Town Centre at Exit 10, the northeast corridors largest subdivision, Summer Lake at Exit 13, Pendleton booming at Exit 19, and the ENORMOUS Nestle Plant at Exit 22. This is all before Anderson's busiest exit at Exit 26 and then Chesterfield-Daleville; Anderson-Muncie at Exit 32.

Truer words have never been spoken. INDOt has a severe case of myopia when it comes to designing and funding road projects. That portion of I-69 should have been widened 10 years ago in anticipation of future development.

Avon gathers ideas for U.S. 36 corridor

AVON -- Town officials, business owners and residents said Wednesday they hope to avoid a future of heavy traffic, busy signage and sterile strip mall construction along Avon's major roadway, U.S. 36.


Avon Planning Director Christine Owens Wednesday led a meeting to generate ideas for building guidelines, known as an overlay district, for the section of the highway within the town's limits. The guidelines would set standards for building architecture and landscape in the district.
About 15 people attended the Town Hall meeting. Participants said they liked the use of landscaping, decorative lighting and crosswalks, but they disliked busy signage, strip center layouts and giant parking lots.
"When you own a business you want to make sure your sign is out there," said Dawn Eising, who owns the Subway on the much-traveled roadway. "U.S. 36 is a busy thoroughfare, so people only have a few seconds to see that sign. From a residential standpoint, people who live here, they don't want the buildings to be billboards."
Those at the meeting brainstormed ideas that were straightforward, such as reducing traffic flow and improving communication with the Indiana Department of Transportation. Other ideas were more imaginative.
"I would like to see 36 with a monorail system going all the way to Danville and to Indianapolis, with a spike to the airport," said Joe Shimrock, an Avon resident who owns property along U.S. 36.
Owens said she hopes to have a draft of the committee's goals completed by Aug. 22 for a public workshop and finalized by September for possible adoption by the Town Council.
The committee will meet again at 7 p.m. on July 18 in the Avon Town Hall building.




Um...this is about 15 years too late!

I think Beech Grove is an underappreciated local community.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070628/LOCAL/706280378/1195/LOCAL18

June 28, 2007

City milestone
Ceremony in Beech Grove during annual Freedom Fest will officially reopen Emerson, showcasing new 'gateway'

By Jason Thomas
jason.thomas@indystar.com

In April 2006 it was sledgehammers. This time it will be scissors.

Work continued Tuesday on the northbound lanes of Emerson Avenue as part of Beech Grove's $7 million gateway project. This phase should be completed by mid-July. - Jason Thomas / The Star
Two springs ago, Beech Grove Mayor Joe Wright used a sledgehammer to signal the beginning of the Emerson Avenue redevelopment project .

On Saturday, he will use a pair of scissors to cut a ribbon that will officially reopen the thoroughfare and showcase a new gateway to the city.

"The thing I think back to is when I took a sledgehammer to the wall," said Wright, remembering a 3-foot, more-than-30-year-old concrete barrier that cut off downtown Beech Grove from Emerson.

"Now we're cutting the ribbon on a project on June 30 that has just exceeded my expectations and I think even the community's expectations."

Saturday's events are part of the city's Freedom Fest celebration, which includes a full day of free activities.

The wall is long gone. In its place is a beautified Emerson Avenue with two "centennial towers" standing sentry on either side of Main Street, on the west side of Emerson, welcoming visitors into the city's downtown shopping district.

Capping Saturday's ceremony is the dedication of a small park at Garstang Street and Emerson honoring military veterans and public safety officials.
By mid-July, three granite monuments will be erected at the park: One will salute the five military branches; one will recognize public safety; and another will honor the city's three police officers killed in the line of duty.

"It's a dedication to those defending our freedoms at home and abroad," Wright said.

Three flagpoles already are in place at the park site, flying United States and Indiana flags, and flags honoring the military and public safety.

The entire Emerson Avenue project stretches from Albany Street to Elmwood Avenue, just north of I-465.

The first part, called the corridor phase, which will be celebrated Saturday, is the project's aesthetic portion. Other features include a landscaped median, enhanced lighting and a wrought-iron fence atop a freshly painted concrete wall on the east side of Emerson that abuts the Amtrak facility.

The city spent $2 million on the project, while the federal government and the Indiana Department of Transportation kicked in $5.5 million.

"All in all, it needed to be done," said Frank Mascari, owner of Spalding Jewelry on Main Street, and the Democratic candidate for mayor. "It's overkill. It's pretty exhorbitant, as you can tell."

Work yet to be done includes putting finishing touches on light fixtures and applying a final layer of asphalt. Wright expects it to be finished by mid-July.

The project's second phase, from Churchman to Elmwood avenues, is expected to be complete in September, according to Wright.

The mayor touted Emerson as the first of eight redevelopment projects, which he says will make the city more walkable and business-oriented.

"I think this has tremendous meaning in the fact that we're moving forward," Wright said. "It's a drastic change and sets the stage for what's to come."

Avon gathers ideas for U.S. 36 corridor


Um...this is about 15 years too late!

Would you expect anything more from Indiana governments?:ohno:

The most critical needs for US 36 are a bypass around Danville and widening to six lanes from SR 267 to I-465.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070707/LOCAL/707070340/1015/LOCAL01

IIRC Carmel has talked about a full buildout in the 100,000 range too. It will be interesting to see what happens in 2025 when Fishers is full. Will it start seeing the same suburban decay that has hit a lot of Marion County? Time will tell.

What I found interesting is that 14 of the top 20 fastest growing municipalities in Indiana are in Indianapolis. Of the remaining six, only one, Lake County's St. John with a population of ~11,000, is over 5,000 in population.

Town's population zooms on state list

By John Tuohy
john.tuohy@indystar.com

Fishers isn't just climbing up the state's population chart, it's soaring.

Fishers' population -- now estimated at 61,840 -- could reach 120,000 by 2025, when developments could run out of land. - Rich Miller / The Star 2003 file photo

The state's ninth-largest community, like an express elevator, is whizzing past Hoosier towns that have been stuck on the same floors for years.
Analysts say by the time Fishers is finished growing -- as in no more room for new subdivisions -- it could rank as the third or fourth most populous municipality in the state.

"It has the potential, if its development estimates are accurate, to give Evansville a run for its money in third place in the next couple of decades," said John Stafford, director of the Community Research Institute at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Not only is Fishers the state's second-fastest-growing community since 2000, but seven of eight cities larger than it have lost residents since then.
"And some of those cities can't grow much more because they are boxed in geographically," Stafford said.

With an estimated population of 61,840, Fishers is only 3,447 residents behind the eighth-ranked city, Muncie, and 7,407 people behind Bloomington, ranked seventh.

Evansville, the state's third-biggest city at 115,738, has lost nearly 6,000 people since 2000. Six other cities larger than Fishers have also lost residents since 2000 -- Fort Wayne, South Bend, Gary, Hammond, Bloomington and Muncie. Only Indianapolis gained population.

Fishers officials predict that when it is completely built out in about 2025, its population will be about 120,000, making it the state's third-largest city.
Since the 2000 census, the town has moved up fast in population, passing Lafayette, Carmel, Anderson, Terre Haute, Elkhart, Mishawaka, Lawrence and Columbus.

If Fishers were to continue to grow at the current rate -- 38 percent since 2000 -- it would reach a population of 85,339 by 2012, ranking it in fifth place, ahead of Hammond (78,292) and behind Gary (97,715).

Muncie Deputy Mayor Phyllis Amburn said that city's 5 percent population drop in the last six years is mostly because big factories like Borg-Warner have closed, costing hundreds of jobs. Many other residents have moved west of the city limits to Yorktown.

Amburn said officials there are well aware that Fishers may pass them in population.

"It's quite possible they'll do it soon," she said.

Stafford said residents in many Indiana cities are choosing to live in the suburbs, and the average household size in those cities is decreasing. "There are more elderly people living alone or single people in those households."
Carmel, which Fishers passed in population estimates in 2006, is still growing at a brisk 15.9 percent, but is no longer among the state's 20 fastest-growing cities and towns.

But Carmel's population could rise significantly in a short time. The Indiana Supreme Court recently cleared the way for Carmel to annex property in southwest Clay Township where 10,000 people live.

Where Fishers ranks

Indiana's most populous cities in July 2006 and the percentage of change since 2000.

1. Indianapolis, 785,597, 0.5.
2. Fort Wayne, 248,637, - 0.6.
3. Evansville, 115,738, - 5.0.
4. South Bend, 104,905, - 3.3.
5. Gary, 97,715, - 5.1.
6. Hammond, 78,292, - 6.1.
7. Bloomington, 69,247, - 3.5.
8. Muncie, 65,287, - 4.2.
9. Fishers, 61,840, 38.5.
10. Lafayette, 61,244, - 0.05.
11. Carmel, 60,570, 15.9.
12. Anderson, 57,496, - 3.9.
13. Terre Haute, 57,259, - 4.1.
14. Elkhart, 52,748, 0.5.
15. Mishawaka, 48,912, 4.6.
16. Kokomo, 45,923, - 1.4.
17. Greenwood, 44,767, 18.7.
18. Lawrence, 41,791, 6.9.
19. Noblesville, 40,115, 27.5.
20. Columbus , 39,690,s 1.6.

How fast we're growing

The populations of the fastest-growing Indiana cities and towns and the rate of increase since April 2000.

1. Winfield, 3,809, 46.8.
2. Fishers, 61,840, 38.5.
3. New Palestine, 2,014, 37.2.
4. Kempton, 572, 33.6.
5. Pittsboro, 2,386, 33.5.
6. Whitestown, 687, 30.4.
7. Noblesville, 40,115, 27.5.
8. St. John, 11,710, 27.1.
9. Westfield, 13,444, 26.8.
10. Ingalls, 1,585, 25.7.
11. Plainfield, 24,734, 25.1.
12. Burns Harbor, 1,015, 24.7.
13. Zionsville, 12,352, 22.7.
14. Brownsburg, 18,850, 22.3.
15. Avon, 9,847, 22.2.
16. Georgetown, 2,768, 19.0.
17. DeMotte, 4,013, 18.9.
18. Greenwood, 44,767, 18.7.
19. Bargersville, 2,576, 17.7.
20. Danville, 7,827, 17.5.

Fishers' growth is mind-boggling. 38.5%??!!

One of the benefits of such high growth is the inevitability of higher density development, such as Riverplace. In the next ten years, I expect several more mid/high-rise residential projects proposed and hopefully built in Fishers.

Also, the state will be FORCED to upgrade I-69 and SR 37 to accomodate the increased traffic.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070707/LOCAL/707070340/1015/LOCAL01

IIRC Carmel has talked about a full buildout in the 100,000 range too. It will be interesting to see what happens in 2025 when Fishers is full. Will it start seeing the same suburban decay that has hit a lot of Marion County? Time will tell.

What I found interesting is that 14 of the top 20 fastest growing municipalities in Indiana are in Indianapolis. Of the remaining six, only one, Lake County's St. John with a population of ~11,000, is over 5,000 in population.

Town's population zooms on state list

By John Tuohy
john.tuohy@indystar.com

Fishers isn't just climbing up the state's population chart, it's soaring.

Fishers' population -- now estimated at 61,840 -- could reach 120,000 by 2025, when developments could run out of land. - Rich Miller / The Star 2003 file photo

The state's ninth-largest community, like an express elevator, is whizzing past Hoosier towns that have been stuck on the same floors for years.
Analysts say by the time Fishers is finished growing -- as in no more room for new subdivisions -- it could rank as the third or fourth most populous municipality in the state.

"It has the potential, if its development estimates are accurate, to give Evansville a run for its money in third place in the next couple of decades," said John Stafford, director of the Community Research Institute at Indiana University-Purdue University Fort Wayne.

Not only is Fishers the state's second-fastest-growing community since 2000, but seven of eight cities larger than it have lost residents since then.
"And some of those cities can't grow much more because they are boxed in geographically," Stafford said.

With an estimated population of 61,840, Fishers is only 3,447 residents behind the eighth-ranked city, Muncie, and 7,407 people behind Bloomington, ranked seventh.

Evansville, the state's third-biggest city at 115,738, has lost nearly 6,000 people since 2000. Six other cities larger than Fishers have also lost residents since 2000 -- Fort Wayne, South Bend, Gary, Hammond, Bloomington and Muncie. Only Indianapolis gained population.

Fishers officials predict that when it is completely built out in about 2025, its population will be about 120,000, making it the state's third-largest city.
Since the 2000 census, the town has moved up fast in population, passing Lafayette, Carmel, Anderson, Terre Haute, Elkhart, Mishawaka, Lawrence and Columbus.

If Fishers were to continue to grow at the current rate -- 38 percent since 2000 -- it would reach a population of 85,339 by 2012, ranking it in fifth place, ahead of Hammond (78,292) and behind Gary (97,715).

Muncie Deputy Mayor Phyllis Amburn said that city's 5 percent population drop in the last six years is mostly because big factories like Borg-Warner have closed, costing hundreds of jobs. Many other residents have moved west of the city limits to Yorktown.

Amburn said officials there are well aware that Fishers may pass them in population.

"It's quite possible they'll do it soon," she said.

Stafford said residents in many Indiana cities are choosing to live in the suburbs, and the average household size in those cities is decreasing. "There are more elderly people living alone or single people in those households."
Carmel, which Fishers passed in population estimates in 2006, is still growing at a brisk 15.9 percent, but is no longer among the state's 20 fastest-growing cities and towns.

But Carmel's population could rise significantly in a short time. The Indiana Supreme Court recently cleared the way for Carmel to annex property in southwest Clay Township where 10,000 people live.

Where Fishers ranks

Indiana's most populous cities in July 2006 and the percentage of change since 2000.

1. Indianapolis, 785,597, 0.5.
2. Fort Wayne, 248,637, - 0.6.
3. Evansville, 115,738, - 5.0.
4. South Bend, 104,905, - 3.3.
5. Gary, 97,715, - 5.1.
6. Hammond, 78,292, - 6.1.
7. Bloomington, 69,247, - 3.5.
8. Muncie, 65,287, - 4.2.
9. Fishers, 61,840, 38.5.
10. Lafayette, 61,244, - 0.05.
11. Carmel, 60,570, 15.9.
12. Anderson, 57,496, - 3.9.
13. Terre Haute, 57,259, - 4.1.
14. Elkhart, 52,748, 0.5.
15. Mishawaka, 48,912, 4.6.
16. Kokomo, 45,923, - 1.4.
17. Greenwood, 44,767, 18.7.
18. Lawrence, 41,791, 6.9.
19. Noblesville, 40,115, 27.5.
20. Columbus , 39,690,s 1.6.

How fast we're growing

The populations of the fastest-growing Indiana cities and towns and the rate of increase since April 2000.

1. Winfield, 3,809, 46.8.
2. Fishers, 61,840, 38.5.
3. New Palestine, 2,014, 37.2.
4. Kempton, 572, 33.6.
5. Pittsboro, 2,386, 33.5.
6. Whitestown, 687, 30.4.
7. Noblesville, 40,115, 27.5.
8. St. John, 11,710, 27.1.
9. Westfield, 13,444, 26.8.
10. Ingalls, 1,585, 25.7.
11. Plainfield, 24,734, 25.1.
12. Burns Harbor, 1,015, 24.7.
13. Zionsville, 12,352, 22.7.
14. Brownsburg, 18,850, 22.3.
15. Avon, 9,847, 22.2.
16. Georgetown, 2,768, 19.0.
17. DeMotte, 4,013, 18.9.
18. Greenwood, 44,767, 18.7.
19. Bargersville, 2,576, 17.7.
20. Danville, 7,827, 17.5.

When I was in high school in Anderson, I was on the Mayor's City Youth Council (yes, I was a nerd then too). In 1970, Anderson had a population of 80,000 people, making it #8 in the State. In 1980, that had dropped to 75,000 and now it is 57,000. I mention this because when I was on the MCYC, I was able to look at my first comprehensive plan and long range projections and they were for Anderson in 2000. It was projected that the City would have 120,000 people and would stretch to the Madison-Henry County lines. It's sad because the City has the infrastructure for a City twice the size, and it is becoming very expensive for the residents to maintain.

Five of the top 20 cities in the state are now suburbs of Indianapolis. This is fairly impressive if you consider that Unigov blew away the opportunity for any suburb of any size in Marion Co. except Lawrence. These are pretty good sized cities in their own right. It's pretty amazing to think think that it likely won't be long before Indy has suburbs with over 100,000 people in them.

I've long said that if you just considered Hamilton County standalone, you'd be forced to lump it in with the likes of Fort Wayne/Allen and South Bend/St. Joseph Counties. (Evansville is much smaller than the general perception because thought is the third largest city in the state, there isn't much to the metro outside the city limits compared to other places in the state. Hamilton County is already larger than Vanderburgh + Warrick). But since Hamilton is viewed as an extension of Indianapolis, it gets very little state aid versus those other places. Contrast how eager INDOT is to build I-69 for Evansville, versus fixing I-69 in Fishers. And there is very little state institutional presence in Hamilton and very little economic development assistance as well, though I would argue that the last one is certainly warranted. Hamilton County has been building its infrastructure - from roads to water/sewer to the jail - from scratch with almost entirely local money, and doing an amazing job of it. Hamilton County has got to be an amazing cash cow for the state. It would be very interesting to see the tax flows to and from the statehouse there.

I think some of these city numbers are clearly understated as well. The town of McCordsville has told me that they are pretty confident they are over 4,000 people by their rooftop counts. The growth out there is pretty strong too. Hancock is just starting to get hit by the same type of growth that previously entered Hendricks and Johnson Counties.

Five of the top 20 cities in the state are now suburbs of Indianapolis. This is fairly impressive if you consider that Unigov blew away the opportunity for any suburb of any size in Marion Co. except Lawrence. These are pretty good sized cities in their own right. It's pretty amazing to think think that it likely won't be long before Indy has suburbs with over 100,000 people in them.

I've long said that if you just considered Hamilton County standalone, you'd be forced to lump it in with the likes of Fort Wayne/Allen and South Bend/St. Joseph Counties. (Evansville is much smaller than the general perception because thought is the third largest city in the state, there isn't much to the metro outside the city limits compared to other places in the state. Hamilton County is already larger than Vanderburgh + Warrick). But since Hamilton is viewed as an extension of Indianapolis, it gets very little state aid versus those other places. Contrast how eager INDOT is to build I-69 for Evansville, versus fixing I-69 in Fishers. And there is very little state institutional presence in Hamilton and very little economic development assistance as well, though I would argue that the last one is certainly warranted. Hamilton County has been building its infrastructure - from roads to water/sewer to the jail - from scratch with almost entirely local money, and doing an amazing job of it. Hamilton County has got to be an amazing cash cow for the state. It would be very interesting to see the tax flows to and from the statehouse there.

I think some of these city numbers are clearly understated as well. The town of McCordsville has told me that they are pretty confident they are over 4,000 people by their rooftop counts. The growth out there is pretty strong too. Hancock is just starting to get hit by the same type of growth that previously entered Hendricks and Johnson Counties.

It is a shame that Hamilton County hasn't gotten more $$ from the state for roads. If it had, US 31 would already be a limited access freeway.

The state of I-69 in Hamilton County is despicable.

Details of airport proposal released

Facility would replace 2 airfields and serve corporate, private planes; buyouts necessary

By John Tuohy
john.tuohy@indystar.com

An airport large enough to handle 67,000 flights a year is being studied for a rural swath of land west of I-69 in southern Madison County.

The airport, between Lapel and Pendleton, would replace airfields in Fishers and Anderson and would serve private and corporate planes.
"The replacement airport should be able to do what those two airports do combined," said Sue Schalk, president of Aerofinity of Indianapolis, which is conducting a feasibility study for Fishers.
Fishers officials want to close Metro Airport at 106th Street and Allisonville Road to develop the high-priced real estate there. Anderson leaders said replacing Anderson Municipal Airport with a bigger airport could energize its economy.
Schalk released preliminary findings of the study Thursday and is planning a public presentation from 1 to 7:30 p.m. July 23 at the Flagship Enterprise Center, 2701 Enterprise Drive in Anderson.
The area under consideration is on about 4,000 acres, about five square miles, near Ind. 13 and Ind. 38, about 2.5 miles from I-69.
The airport would have the capacity for two runways, 7,000 and 4,500 feet long. The Fishers and Anderson airports don't have a runway of 7,000 feet, which is long enough for some commercial jets to land.
The airfield would be about 1,500 acres, and the rest of the area would anchor aviation-related industry.
The targeted area is mostly rural and contains about 65 farms and homes. Schalk said it was chosen because it was between the Fishers and Anderson airports, is large enough to provide the services of both airports and is not environmentally sensitive.
Property buyouts would be necessary, but Schalk did not know what they would cost. Schalk cautioned that the feasibility study was only the first step in a process that would take at least 10 years and needed approval from several local, state and federal agencies.
Lynn Wainscott, a town councilman in Lapel, which is just north of the site, said an airport would change the complexion of the town of 1,800.
"This won't be a bedroom community anymore," he said. "We planned on building a lot of new homes out there. Now we'll have to think about industry related to the airport."
Aerofinity will collect public comments at the hearing and include them in a report to the Anderson Board of Aviation Commissioners, the Indianapolis Airport Authority and the Federal Aviation Administration.



My thoughts:

This proposal is a win-win for all involved. Fishers gains additional commercial tax base by relocating Metro. Mounds State Park, which is adjacent to the Anderson Municipal Airport, can be expanded, and Madison County benefits from all of the warehouses and ancillary businesses that locate near airports. All while the fast-growing northeast side gets served by an aiport that is twice the size of either existing facility.

If you don't believe that this will create new jobs from "spill-over" business, I suggest driving by little Mt. Comfort Airport in Hancock County and look at all of the development going on there...or even Indianapolis Int'l and look how Plainfield has benefited. Of course, no taxes from the airport, but all of those warehouses etc. have to pay them. Also, Madison County's exisitng manufacturing (albeit shrinking) benfits from being able to bring goods in by air.

Finally, Lapel is also able to gain because of the new commerical and residential that will pop up. Face it, Lapel is on the cusp of massive development now, this will be a coup for that little Town.

Cory, I agree - this airport move looks like a win-win for everyone. I'm surprised Lapel is opposed to it. When somebody explains that a tax base of nothing but starter homes is a recipe for fiscal disaster, I'm guessing they'll come around. Pendleton saw the advantages immediately.

Assuming this comes to fruition, it will be interesting to see what becomes of the Metropolitan Airport site. It's a great opportunity to do something truly special - we'll see if Fishers steps up to the plate on it.

A second Indy ametro airport would be a HUGE boon for development and growth in Hamilton and Madison counties. The airport would be at the SW corner of SR 13 and SR 38, which is a couple of miles from the developed part of the city of Lapel.

Lapel is a small depressed town and this airport could provide the city a guaranteed employment and economic base for the next several decades.

And INDOT would have no choice but to widen I-69 to six lanes between Indy and the proposed airport.

In the Anderson paper yesterday they had all kinds of people opposed to this. Most were claiming that "Anderson will lose it's airport." Again, Exit 14 on I-69 is 6 miles from the first Anderson Exit on I-69, the same distance from the EXISTING airport.

I would be interested to see if this airport will infact gain "Regional Status" and have some sort of scheduled commercial service. With Madison, Hamilton and Hancock Counties, there are over 500,000 people.

What would this airport be called? Anderson-Fishers Regional Airport? Indianapolis Metropolitan Regional Airport?

I would be interested to see if this airport will infact gain "Regional Status" and have some sort of scheduled commercial service. With Madison, Hamilton and Hancock Counties, there are over 500,000 people.

What would this airport be called? Anderson-Fishers Regional Airport? Indianapolis Metropolitan Regional Airport?
If there's any possibility of commercial service, the word Indianapolis should not be in the name, just to avoid confusion.

Like you said, I think there are enough people in the area that a couple daily "shuttle" flights to and from major hubs would probably be viable. Obviously Chicago (AA, United) service would be a no-brainer, but Cincinnati (Delta) and maybe Cleveland (Continental) could also work.

This new airport would be almost an hour drive from IND.

If there's any possibility of commercial service, the word Indianapolis should not be in the name, just to avoid confusion.

Like you said, I think there are enough people in the area that a couple daily "shuttle" flights to and from major hubs would probably be viable. Obviously Chicago (AA, United) service would be a no-brainer, but Cincinnati (Delta) and maybe Cleveland (Continental) could also work.

This new airport would be almost an hour drive from IND.

I agree. The only viable commercial service would be shuttle flights to hubs. The cities you mentioned and maybe even hubs a little farther away, such as Atlanta.

I would like this airport to receive commercial flights.

Of course, Indianapolis International has room to expand and a third runway will be added but it is pretty far away from population centers in Fishers and Anderson.

I don't see any reason to have commercial flights, though this might be someplace you could do an emergency diversion. Why wouldn't you want to fully leverage in the infrastructure investment at IND? Passenger facilities at a new airport would be very expensive to build. I don't see a need for it, personally.

http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=135&ArticleID=35200

Groups studying what's best for future of Center Grove area in Johnson County

Daily Journal of Johnson County

By ANNIE GOELLER, Daily Journal of Johnson County staff writer

The political future of the Center Grove area is being examined.

Less than three months after an Indiana University professor told people about the costs and benefits of incorporating or annexing the area, a group of residents is studying the best options for residents, and the township trustee wants to select a panel of researchers to look at ideas.

Their main goals are to find out what residents want and how the options will affect taxpayers.

The studies would take the long-discussed ideas of making the Center Grove area a town or asking Bargersville or Greenwood to annex the land to a level where taxpayers can understand how the options truly would affect them.

For the first time in years, people are interested and want to learn more, local officials said.

County commissioner Mitch Ripley, who represents the northern third of the county that includes the Center Grove area, said he's heard from at least 100 people interested in the idea.

Anita Knowles, who is a member of White River Citizens United and the county council, said the issue is the top priority for the citizens group.

"This is like a big deal. I mean, we're talking about how it's going to affect a lot of people," Knowles said.

Also, White River Township Trustee Jay Marks said people have approached him with negative feedback about incorporating, such as why the idea was necessary and what additional services residents would get.

But officials warn that discussion is in the early stages, and no one has a timeline for when studies will be complete.

White River Citizens United, a group of 14 homeowners associations representing about 2,000 Center Grove area homeowners, has started studying the options and met with a consultant who recently studied an annexation proposal in Carmel.

Members are preparing a position statement that would lay out the group's stand on what should happen next with the Center Grove area.

Some members also have done their own rough calculations that compared the potential tax rates of Center Grove with Greenwood. If the area were incorporated, the owner of a $100,000 home would pay $300 to $400 more per year in taxes, said Mark DeVoe, treasurer of the group.

But that calculation doesn't take into account the cost of starting the incorporation process, such as legal fees, and wouldn't include a bond to fund some costs, such as road projects.

The group is not ready to present its findings to the public and is not ready for feedback from residents, said John Dorsett, president of White River Citizens United.

Marks hasn't called for a study of the ideas but wants to put together a committee of government officials, financial consultants and accountants who can look at the options and how they would affect taxes.

"I'm not the only one who will make this decision. It will affect 40,000 people," Marks said.

He has been focusing on discussions of what should be done with the township government center but wants to start studies in the coming months, he said.

Once the studies are complete, residents can expect to learn more about the options and how their taxes will be impacted.

And they might be surprised at what is being discussed.

While Marks said his study likely will focus on the benefits and costs of being annexed versus incorporating, a consultant who worked with Carmel when the city annexed part of nearby Clay Township said the area has as many as 30 alternatives.

Center Grove could become its own town or be annexed as a whole into Greenwood or Bargersville, but those are not the only options and may not be the best, said Mike Shaver, president of Carmel-based consulting firm Wabash Scientific.

Other options include annexing part of the township into Greenwood and part into Bargersville, and leaving part of the area the same, making part of the area into a town and a combination of these.

The deciding factor is what is best for the community, the impact on tax rates and what makes the most sense, he said.

For example, a subdivision near Bargersville that could receive or already has sewer service from the town likely should not be annexed into Greenwood.

Deciding what is best will take a study of not just the township as a whole but of specific neighborhoods and developed areas.

Also, the township needs to think of the future, such as what would happen if Interstate 69 takes the route of State Road 37, he said.

What will happen next is unclear.

Shaver recommended that the township ask the Indiana University School of Public and Environmental Affairs put together a study on the different alternatives.

To incorporate, someone would need to lead the process, something Marks isn't sure he would do and Ripley has said he doesn't think he can do since he is a county official.

Both groups want to take the needed time to thoroughly study the options and give residents as much information as possible.

"The more you learn, the more confusing it gets," DeVoe said.

Neither group is leaning in any direction of what should happen, Marks and DeVoe said.

Wow, someone actually sticks to their guns on a land use plan.

http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=135&ArticleID=35190

McCordsville sticks to its plan, discourages new commercial center

(Greenfield) Daily Reporter
Kimberly Jahnke, Daily Reporter staff writer

McCordsville Town Council members wouldn't mind having a Target store move to town, but they want to draw the bull's eye that determines where it lands.

Council members heard an informal presentation this week from developers of the proposed Shops at 96th and Olio, a retail center anchored by Target.

Though the council took no official action, it essentially shut the door on the development.

Council members responded favorably to the project's design and content but uniformly opposed the location - adjacent to the upscale Highland Springs and Bay Creek East neighborhoods.

The town's master plan zones the area as light residential, and the council showed little interest in changing the designation to allow commercial development.

"It's the right project but totally the wrong place," Councilman Tom Strayer said.

Area homeowners echoed that reaction.

"I didn't buy a house to back up to a wall," said Bay Creek East resident Julius Madai, one of about 25 residents to attend the meeting on Tuesday.

The proposed development would occupy up to 63 acres on the southeast corner of CRs 1000 North and 600 West. The retail center would be anchored by a Target store, which would not include a grocery, and offer storefronts and out lots for restaurants and boutique shops.

In many ways, the proposal exceeded the council's typical standards for commercial development. The shopping area included courtyards with fountains, paved brick path ways, decorative building facades and surplus landscaping.

"We want (residential neighbors) to feel like it's an asset," said developer Paul Kite.

Representatives from his company have been in discussions with Highland Springs residents since fall in an effort to broker support for the project, apparently with little success.

Following the presentation, Highland Springs resident Pat Hurley presented the council with a petition opposing the project signed by 135 of the neighborhood's 185 homeowners.

Ron Pritzke, the attorney representing the developer, acknowledged the controversy in his introduction to the council but contended the development would bring a "Main Street feel" to the area and a swell of tax dollars to town coffers.

Since the town completed its planning map, he argued, commercial developments have sprung up on the north side of CR 1000 North, which is Hamilton County, making the corner appropriate for retail.

The council was unswayed.

"We don't have control over what happens north of 96th street, but we do have control over what happens south of it," Strayer said.

"We'd love to have you. Just not there," said Councilman Barry Wood, who lives in Highland Springs.

The informal presentation process allows developers to present their proposals and receive feedback from the council. Developers must make a formal development presentation before the project can advance to the town planning and zoning committee.

Pritzke declined to comment after the meeting on the project's future.

I would gladly give them land in Hancock County-Cumberland, which is just south of McCordsville if Target likes!

What is the big deal about passenger facilities at the proposed airport? Eventually Indianapolis International will not be able to handle the traffic and some will have to be diverted elsewhere.

Constructing passenger facilities is a pro-active approach towards planning for future air travel in Indiana.

And I personally don't like the fact that you have to go to Indianapolis to get most commerical flights. Indianapolis has the only major airport in the state. The others (like in Ft. Wayne) are small and can only handle limited commercial flights.

96th and Olio will need to be widened to handle the traffic brought by that proposed commercial centre.

Olio-Mt. Comfort Road is part of the outer beltway and needs to be upgraded.

What is the big deal about passenger facilities at the proposed airport? Eventually Indianapolis International will not be able to handle the traffic and some will have to be diverted elsewhere.

Constructing passenger facilities is a pro-active approach towards planning for future air travel in Indiana.

And I personally don't like the fact that you have to go to Indianapolis to get most commerical flights. Indianapolis has the only major airport in the state. The others (like in Ft. Wayne) are small and can only handle limited commercial flights.

Building passenger facilities at this new airport would be a tremendous waste of money and honestly probably hasn't been brought up outside of this thread. The new passenger terminal at IND is expandable to 60 gates and the airport is planning on building a third runway. IND will be able to handle passenger traffic for atleast the next few decades.

what I mean by "sceduled service" is not really a US Airlink flight to CVG or ORD that would require huge, expensive baggage facilites. There are many other opportunities for limited "scheduled" service. Hell, the Anderson Municipal Airport used to have "scheduled service" to Flint and Detroit back when GM was still there.

Building passenger facilities at this new airport would be a tremendous waste of money and honestly probably hasn't been brought up outside of this thread. The new passenger terminal at IND is expandable to 60 gates and the airport is planning on building a third runway. IND will be able to handle passenger traffic for atleast the next few decades.

But still, Indianapolis has the only major airport in the state. People shouldn't have to drive 2+ hours to get to the airport.

I believe the airport should be designed to handle this type of aircraft and growth.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5750922/
http://sats.nasa.gov/

This stuff is coming very soon (NASA has put together the aviation monitoring software system already) and it would be wise to ensure that Indy and the northside plans accordingly.

I was up in A-town Sunday and I snapped a couple of pics with my phone. It seems the quality of the pics I take with it gets worse daily. I promise to take a proper camera up there soon and get some pics. It is obvious that there used to be money in Anderson prior to GM's bust.


http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cwilson758/Anderson/Skyline1.jpg

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cwilson758/Anderson/Skyline2.jpg

Old Carnagie Library:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cwilson758/Anderson/CarnigieLibrary.jpg

Methodist Church:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cwilson758/Anderson/Church.jpg

City Hall:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cwilson758/Anderson/CityHall.jpg

2nd-Tallest:
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cwilson758/Anderson/Combo.jpg

Tower Apts (City's Tallest):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cwilson758/Anderson/TowerApt.jpg

Tower Apt (backside):
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v493/cwilson758/Anderson/TowerApt1.jpg

Unfortunately I couldn't get the front of this building. It is a beautiful tower with very ornate detailing around the top.

Good news for Plainfield: From the 7/19 IndyStar:



Home appliance-maker Whirlpool said today it will expand its national parts distribution and operations center in Plainfield, creating more than 150 new jobs.


The company currently employs more than 400 people at the 805,000-square-foot facility owned by Ryder. Hiring will begin later this year and continue through 2008.
The expansion follows Whirlpool’s acquisition of Maytag in 2006 and the consolidation of the two companies’ North American parts operations.

“Expanding the Plainfield operations will allow us to move our products more efficiently and more cost effectively,” said Whirlpool’s Kathy Nelson, vice president and general manager for consumer and appliance care, in a prepared statement.

The Indiana Economic Development Corporation offered Whirlpool and Ryder up to $780,000 in performance-based tax credits and up to $57,000 in training grants based on Whirlpool’s announced job creation plans. The Town of Plainfield also offered property tax abatement.

More Plainfield development news courtesy of the IndyStar. DAMN this place is booming!:cheers:


In the development boom near the new entry to the Indianapolis airport, construction has started on another office and warehouse building in Plainfield.


California-based Coastal Partners is developing Gateway Park, a mix of offices, warehouse, retail and potentially hotels on the northwest side of the new Six Points Road interchange of I-70.

The interchange has become part of a red hot corridor of construction underway or planned.

The Six Points interchange forms the new interstate entry to the new $1 billion passenger terminal of the Indianapolis International Airport to open next year.


South of the interchange is the entry to the Ameriplex business park in Marion County. And the northside leads to more than 2,400 acres of industrial and distribution parks in Plainfield and Hendricks County, including the newly opened Ronald Reagan Parkway.

Luke J. Wessel of leasing agent Colliers Turley Martin Tucker said today that the location is prompting the construction of a 121,800 square foot flexible office and warehouse building at the interchange.

No tenants have been signed yet, so the structure is going up on speculation.
The building will be at 851 South Columbia Road, a new street in Plainfield named in memory of the astronauts killed in the explosion of the Columbia space shuttle.

The new building is nearly a twin in Gateway Park Building 1 constructed in the past two years. Tenants include the headquarters for Banning Engineering, and the local offices and workshops for computer recycler Cascade Asset Management.

Wessel said contracts are pending that will complete the leasing of all the rest of the space in the first building.

Coastal Partners has land for up to four similar buildings, or one more build-to-suit structure of up to 250,000 square feet, he said.

Coastal also has 17 adjacent acres at Ronald Reagan and Stafford Road master planned for retailing, hotels and office buildings.

“We have a retailing team looking at the prospects for that site,” Wessel said.
Brett Baumgarten, chief executive of Coastal, said in a written statement today “our retail and office land to the north of Building II is also currently under construction with infrastructure and two new access road to be completed in the next few months.”

“We will be announcing future amenities to the park soon,” he said.

The Gateway Park is a joint venture of Coastal Partners, which has an Indianapolis office, and HAS Commercial Real Estate in Chicago. Meyer Najem Corp. is providing construction services.

More Plainfield development news courtesy of the IndyStar. DAMN this place is booming!:cheers:


In the development boom near the new entry to the Indianapolis airport, construction has started on another office and warehouse building in Plainfield.



California-based Coastal Partners is developing Gateway Park, a mix of offices, warehouse, retail and potentially hotels on the northwest side of the new Six Points Road interchange of I-70.

The interchange has become part of a red hot corridor of construction underway or planned.

The Six Points interchange forms the new interstate entry to the new $1 billion passenger terminal of the Indianapolis International Airport to open next year.


South of the interchange is the entry to the Ameriplex business park in Marion County. And the northside leads to more than 2,400 acres of industrial and distribution parks in Plainfield and Hendricks County, including the newly opened Ronald Reagan Parkway.

Luke J. Wessel of leasing agent Colliers Turley Martin Tucker said today that the location is prompting the construction of a 121,800 square foot flexible office and warehouse building at the interchange.

No tenants have been signed yet, so the structure is going up on speculation.
The building will be at 851 South Columbia Road, a new street in Plainfield named in memory of the astronauts killed in the explosion of the Columbia space shuttle.

The new building is nearly a twin in Gateway Park Building 1 constructed in the past two years. Tenants include the headquarters for Banning Engineering, and the local offices and workshops for computer recycler Cascade Asset Management.

Wessel said contracts are pending that will complete the leasing of all the rest of the space in the first building.

Coastal Partners has land for up to four similar buildings, or one more build-to-suit structure of up to 250,000 square feet, he said.

Coastal also has 17 adjacent acres at Ronald Reagan and Stafford Road master planned for retailing, hotels and office buildings.

“We have a retailing team looking at the prospects for that site,” Wessel said.
Brett Baumgarten, chief executive of Coastal, said in a written statement today “our retail and office land to the north of Building II is also currently under construction with infrastructure and two new access road to be completed in the next few months.”

“We will be announcing future amenities to the park soon,” he said.

The Gateway Park is a joint venture of Coastal Partners, which has an Indianapolis office, and HAS Commercial Real Estate in Chicago. Meyer Najem Corp. is providing construction services.



I originally thought you said "DAMN this place is boring!" :lol:

Plans show big tenants for mall at Noblesville

NOBLESVILLE, Ind. -- From department stores to spas and coffee shops, Hamilton Town Center will have a little bit of everything.

Among the large tenants planned for the outdoor mall at Exit 10 on I-69 are J.C. Penney, Dick's Sporting Goods, Borders, Old Navy, Ulta, Goodrich Quality Theaters, Bed, Bath & Beyond and DSW Shoe Warehouse.

These and 72 other tenants were included in site plans filed this week with the city's Engineering Department.

Simon Property Group, which is developing the project along with Gershman Brown & Associates, declined to confirm names of the tenants.

Spokesman Les Morris said Simon wants to make sure announcements are made with the right timing and impact in mind for the best marketing strategy possible.

The 103,780-square-foot J.C. Penney -- the largest store in the plans -- will have a soft opening in late September and a grand opening Oct. 5, according to Ryan Berry, project engineer with Pepper Construction, the group building the store.

The rest of the mall is set to open beginning in the spring.

Mayor John Ditslear said he expects the mall will create about 3,000 jobs.

WHO'S COMING TO HAMILTON TOWN CENTER :

Goodrich Quality Theaters, Dick's Sporting Goods, Old Navy, Borders, J.C. Penney, Ulta, Dress Barn, Lane Bryant, Hallmark, Tossed, Uncle D's, Limited Too, Yankee Candle, The Children's Place, Houlihan's, Victoria's Secret, White House/Black Market, Bachrach, Starbucks, LensCrafters, Paradise Bakery, Great Clips, Zumiez, Bath & Body Works, Select Comfort, American Eagle Outfitters, Buckle, Journeys, GameStop, After Hours, Claire's, KeyBank, Banana Republic, Coldwater Creek, Ann Taylor Loft, Gymboree, Aveda Lifestyle Salon/Spa, DSW, Bed, Bath & Beyond, Sunglass Hut.

Source: Noblesville Engineering Department.

The only thing that sparks my interest is Banana. And I can only afford the sale rack there!

These malls are all carbon copies of each other. I am excited about JCP too, but other than that, "yawn."

Your typical retailers, a few on the higher end.

I think this mall is supposed to have an IMAX. Not bad for Indy, one on the southside, one downtown, and perhaps one on the northside. Most cities only have one. But other than that, it's the same old crap.

Actually, I do find a positive side to it. For example, if and when really high end retailers decide to enter the market, perhaps they will look at downtown as an option opposed to immediately jumping to the northside. (For instance, I was glad that they didn't put a Neiman Marcus in where Parisian used to be at the Fashion Mall).

The only thing that sparks my interest is Banana. And I can only afford the sale rack there!

These malls are all carbon copies of each other. I am excited about JCP too, but other than that, "yawn."

Hello everyone. Long time reader, first time poster.

Question: What retail stores would be different in your opinion, that would draw interest and be viable in central Indiana? If you were a developer with 1 million square feet of retail space, who would you try to market?

Dillards is the 1st one that comes to mind

Construction begins on sports, retail complex

With earthwork nearly completed, construction of a unique retail center and sports park at 116th Street and Hoosier Road is about to begin.

Heavy equipment operators created a deep pond to retain water on the site of Arbor Village at Hamilton Proper, a shopping center that will overlook youth soccer fields at 116th Street and Hoosier Road. - James Gillaspy / The Indianapolis Star

The work on Arbor Village at Hamilton Proper, a 39,000 square foot retail center overlooking seven youth soccer fields, is scheduled to start in the fall.
“The elements of design for the retail center were chosen to represent Indiana history,” said Bob Echols, president and chief operating officer of developer HDG Mansur Properties.
“Arbor Village at Hamilton Proper will have more of a historical and residential feel than the average retail center found in the area.”
So far, excavation work on the 11-acre commercial project has concentrated on digging to construct a deep retention pond along Hoosier Road and fill work to build up ground along 116th Street where the shopping center will rise.
On ground below the retail center to the south, a string of soccer fields between the shops and Mud Creek will be maintained as part of the Southeastern Program of Recreational Team Sports.

Mansur officials said the retail center will be developed to allow viewing of team play from a raised berm and seating areas facing the fields. A walkway will link the fields to the retail center.

“We are excited about the opportunity to add retail to the growing area of Fishers and to incorporate some different features in the process,” said Echols.

The collection of shops is expected to include restaurants, gift shops, boutiques and a day spa. Future building on outlots could feature a grocer and a bank.

Fishers, Noblesville among booming 'burbs

By Chris Sikich

Noblesville and Fishers are two of the fastest-growing suburbs in the country, according to Forbes.com

Fishers was ranked the 35th fastest-growing suburb and Noblesville the 86th. They are the only Indiana suburbs on the list, which the business publisher posted July 16.

"I think the good part about this is that a lot of folks realize what a great city we have," Mayor John Ditslear said. "They are wanting to become a part of that because of our quality of life and our school system."

He said the task of city officials is to manage that growth. "I guess the bad part is we can also grow too fast, but I think, frankly, we're doing a good job of managing growth."

The fastest-growing suburb, was Lincoln, Calif., which is outside Sacramento.

That city grew 236.8 percent from 11,746 to 39,566.

The list was compiled using U.S. Census growth data from 2000 to 2006 and provided by Demographia, a St. Louis-based research firm, Forbes.com reported.

Fishers grew 58.9 percent, from 38,921 people to 61,840, and Noblesville grew 36percent from 29,489 people to 40,115 people. The 2000 figures are from the 10-year census and the 2006 figure are from estimates released this June.

Estimates aren't enough for Fishers and Noblesville officials, because hard figures showing more people can equal a larger share of taxes on an annual basis until the next 10-year census is complete.

The city has discussed having another special census. "We are investigating that as we speak," Ditslear said, speaking figuratively, when reached Tuesday morning from his cell phone.

Rusty Bodenhorn, Noblesville's administrative officer, has estimated the city's population at 45,000 compared to 39,087 in the last special census, released in 2005.

The U.S. Census Bureau will conduct Fishers' second special census since 2000 beginning in August. After the first one in 2003, enumerators found the town's population was 52,396.

Fishers, Noblesville among booming 'burbs

By Chris Sikich

Noblesville and Fishers are two of the fastest-growing suburbs in the country, according to Forbes.com

Fishers was ranked the 35th fastest-growing suburb and Noblesville the 86th. They are the only Indiana suburbs on the list, which the business publisher posted July 16.

"I think the good part about this is that a lot of folks realize what a great city we have," Mayor John Ditslear said. "They are wanting to become a part of that because of our quality of life and our school system."

He said the task of city officials is to manage that growth. "I guess the bad part is we can also grow too fast, but I think, frankly, we're doing a good job of managing growth."

The fastest-growing suburb, was Lincoln, Calif., which is outside Sacramento.

That city grew 236.8 percent from 11,746 to 39,566.

The list was compiled using U.S. Census growth data from 2000 to 2006 and provided by Demographia, a St. Louis-based research firm, Forbes.com reported.

Fishers grew 58.9 percent, from 38,921 people to 61,840, and Noblesville grew 36percent from 29,489 people to 40,115 people. The 2000 figures are from the 10-year census and the 2006 figure are from estimates released this June.

Estimates aren't enough for Fishers and Noblesville officials, because hard figures showing more people can equal a larger share of taxes on an annual basis until the next 10-year census is complete.

The city has discussed having another special census. "We are investigating that as we speak," Ditslear said, speaking figuratively, when reached Tuesday morning from his cell phone.

Rusty Bodenhorn, Noblesville's administrative officer, has estimated the city's population at 45,000 compared to 39,087 in the last special census, released in 2005.

The U.S. Census Bureau will conduct Fishers' second special census since 2000 beginning in August. After the first one in 2003, enumerators found the town's population was 52,396.



That is good news. Now if only the state would widen I-69 and SR 37. Those two roads are parking lots!:bash:

Also, Noblesville has A LOT of developable land in its city limits whereas Fishers is starting to get a little cramped. Fishers is going to start building UP (hurray!) whereas Noblesville will grow onto its undeveloped land.

Any ideas as to how many people are projected to live in Noblesville by the end of this decade?

Westfield OKs expanded Eagle Station project

Fri. August 17 - 2007
IBJ Staff
Westfield town councilors have unanimously approved an expansion of multi-use development Eagle Station to 997 acres, up from the 856 acres approved last year.

The project now could include 2,230 single-family houses, 800 apartments and a number of businesses, according to the Noblesville Daily Times.

The developer, Westfield-based Wilfong and Kreutz Land Development LLC, has set aside 22 acres for a new elementary school to accommodate growth of the Hamilton County community.

Plans also call for 300,000 square feet of offices and 1.6 million square feet of retail space.
|
The project is in Eagletown, a hamlet west of Westfield.

Cape Air might link Indy to Evansville, South Bend

Thu. August 16 - 2007
IBJ Staff
Massachusetts-based Cape Air has scheduled a meeting Aug. 20 in Indianapolis with airport officials from Evansville and South Bend to discuss starting commuter flights between the two cities and Indianapolis.

An official of Evansville Regional Airport told the Evansville Courier & Press that the planes used by Cape Air, nine-passenger Cesna 402s, would be ideal.

If round-trip flights can be launched in October or November, as hoped, the cost likely would average $100 to $150.

Indianapolis-based Chautauqua Airlines operated flights between Evansville and Indianapolis on behalf of USAirways until the 2001 terrorist attacks hurt air travel.

Hotels seen as part of mall's expansion

Construction of the next phase of the Metropolis mall in Plainfield could be going up, literally, with at least one trendy five-story hotel on top.

A view of Metropolis shopping mall in Plainfield, looking north. The mall developer is working on designs for a 400,000-square-foot expansion to be constructed next year. - Joe Vitti / The Star

Mall developer Premier Properties is working on designs for the next 400,000 square feet of Metropolis, to be constructed next year, and it could include one or two hotel towers above the shopping mall.
It is the latest sign of many new hotels in and around Plainfield, within five minutes of the new $1 billion passenger terminal opening at Indianapolis International Airport. The new entry road to the airport comes from the Plainfield direction.
"The second phase of Metropolis is in design now, and we're spending a lot of time to make it right. It will not be a major departure from the first phase of Metropolis, but it will look a bit different," said Ryan Cronk, vice president of development for Premier.
The first half of the mall in Plainfield is mostly one- and two-story structures, with retail shops and restaurants on the street level and offices on the upper floors.
The second half of the mall, to be located south of the first phase, generally has been envisioned to have major department stores plus small shops and eateries that complement the existing mall.
Premier has recently announced plans with Virginia-based Interstate Hotels and Resorts to build three hotels at Premier malls in Indianapolis, Plainfield and Williamsburg, Va.
The two in Indiana are to be Aloft hotels, a newly created upscale and trendy brand from New York-based Starwood Hotels.
Though no Aloft hotels are open, at least six are reported under construction around the country.
Cronk said the Aloft hotel planned in Metropolis is to be a 136-room, five-story building on top of the mall. The lobby entrance to the hotel would be on the second floor of the building above the shopping level.
He said plans could be presented to Plainfield officials by the end of this year, and the building could be under construction by early spring.
Aloft at Metropolis could open in spring 2009, according to Cronk and Jamie Cua, senior director of development for Starwood.
Concepts being discussed include two hotel towers on the mall, but Cronk could give no brand names for the second hotel and said no deals have been signed.
Aloft is designed like Starwood's popular but expensive W hotels, found only in large cities like Chicago.
"Starwood developed Aloft as a less-expensive alternative that can be developed in other Midwestern cities," Cua said.
Cronk estimated the development costs to be $12 million to $16 million for each of the three Starwood hotels Premier will build at its malls.

gotta love this cities mentality, will it ever change :ohno:

August 17, 2007

Ace moves in downtown Noblesville

Couple hope to have hardware store open to public on Wednesday

The Noblesville couple -- who moved last October from Michigan, where Pat's family has owned an Ace for nearly 40 years -- said they hope to open their store Wednesday at 130 Logan St.
Alison said they've ordered 200 trash cans and buckets and 300 mums to give away at the Sept. 7-9 grand opening.
Customer service is the store's specialty, she added.
For the Dearys, Alison, 55, and Pat, 51, that means having a mechanic on duty for small-engine repair, offering screen and window repair, carpet-cleaning machine rentals, computerized color paint matching, a propane-filling station and sharpening, engraving and pipe-cutting services.
The gift department, where customers can buy items as diverse as candles and Noblesville Millers' custom teddy bears, is one of Alison's favorite areas.
On a walk-through of the all-brick building, she drew attention to the 3,500-square-foot lawn and garden center, the store's largest department, and the seasonal department at the store's entrance. Small appliances, high-end bath faucets, vanities and cabinet hardware are among the 27,000 items the store employees still have to tag.
She said the store was designed from experience gained operating their Michigan store, which was awarded third in the nation in "customer engagement" in 2006.
Their son, Christopher Deary, is operations manager for the staff of 24, 11 of whom are full time, ages 17 to 73.
Alison said another way they'll compete is with an experienced staff, having hired several retirees and people who've worked in the construction or hardware business.
And what about the little guy in town? Bill Prater Sr., owner of Kirk Hardware, which has been in business since 1889, expects Ace may cut into his business, which has more limited hours.
But he's not worried. Prater contends that his one-on-one service, his product knowledge and his ability to find just about anything a customer wants "within moments" will keep his customers coming back.
"There's a place for us both," Alison said. "He (Prater) has a loyal customer base, and we'll start to build one."

BTW, Plainfield is kicking some major ass right now! I would just really like to see some development in the dt area of plainfiled in the near future....

Westfield OKs expanded Eagle Station project

Fri. August 17 - 2007
IBJ Staff
Westfield town councilors have unanimously approved an expansion of multi-use development Eagle Station to 997 acres, up from the 856 acres approved last year.

The project now could include 2,230 single-family houses, 800 apartments and a number of businesses, according to the Noblesville Daily Times.

The developer, Westfield-based Wilfong and Kreutz Land Development LLC, has set aside 22 acres for a new elementary school to accommodate growth of the Hamilton County community.

Plans also call for 300,000 square feet of offices and 1.6 million square feet of retail space.
|
The project is in Eagletown, a hamlet west of Westfield.

www.eagletown.net

Since I live in Westfield, I'd like to see growth in the area, but there are concerns I have with this development. I followed the project thru and submitted my concerns to the powers to be, but it still passed.

Look at Google Maps for this area. Looks like Residential District #3 is approx. 1200 feet away from the edge of an airport runway. Hundreds of homes will be under a plane's flight path to land. Granted, its a small, lesser used airport for single engine planes and ultralights, but it's still an active airport.

1.6 million square feet of retail space. Isn't that a bit larger than the Castleton Square Mall building? Is Westfield and Eagletown ready for the traffic?

I see Slaggie Architects name on some of the documents. I hope they will make this project look and feel unique and different from the Hazel Dell Crossing (Noble West) shopping center that they designed at 146th and Hazel Dell. The western 1/3 of the Market Center District is laid out almost like Hazel Dell Crossing.

I like the 3 mile radius circle. It is centered on the intersection of Spring Mill Road and SR32. This project doesn't touch that intersection. :lol:

I feel that this may be a good project, but it can be a great one. I still have hope.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070831/LOCAL0102/708310347/1177/LOCAL010203

Vote nears on town center
Council could back $100 million plan next month

By John Tuohy
john.tuohy@indystar.com

Fishers Town Council is close to signing off on a $100 million development project to transform its downtown core to a mix of shops, eateries, townhouses and condos linked by outdoor pavilions, sidewalks and lawns.

Fred and Linda Tucker are eager to move from their home on Lantern Road, which is among 25 homes and businesses that would have to be razed to make way for a proposed development project. "This house is too big for us anymore. We don't need five bedrooms," Fred Tucker said. - James Yee / The Star

Meanwhile, the owners of homes and businesses that would have to be torn down have not yet been approached by developers -- even those who are eager to move.

The council's support, which could come in mid-September, would be the first legislative action it has taken on the Fishers Town Center -- which has been in the planning stages for about a year.

If approved, the agreement would give Fairmount Properties of Ohio the OK to buy 125 properties in the targeted area and get commitments from retailers and home builders.

"This would give them the full go-ahead to do what they say they want to do and hire who they need to hire," said Town Manager Gary Huff, adding that the deal could be presented to the council at its Sept. 17 meeting.
Huff said the town would designate the targeted area -- several blocks north and south of 116th Street between I-69 and the train tracks -- as a tax increment financing district.

"It is a financial incentive that helps draw and fund new development," Huff said.

The tax districts use the property taxes from new development to back bonds for infrastructure improvements in the development area.

Fairmount's plans call for a contiguous campus of businesses, homes and green space on six square blocks south of 116th and several more north of the thoroughfare.

The developer's preliminary plan outlined 110,000 square feet of retail, 50 luxury homes and townhouses, 40 loft-style condos and several apartments over storefront business.

The area would include an outdoor pavilion, a grocery, a bookstore and an adult education campus with a children's playground.

Huff said Fairmount, which has been pitching the plan to retailers, is still tinkering with its details. He said he did not know the specifics of the plan.
"I think now they are talking about a little more retail and maybe a little less residential," he said.

Officials from Fairmount were unavailable for comment.

The key to the project's momentum, however, will be buying 125 homes and businesses that need to be razed to make way for the development.

So far, Fairmount has not approached those property owners about selling their land. That would likely begin soon after the development deal is approved, said Fishers Chamber of Commerce President Christi Wolf.

"I'd expect they'd be out talking to property owners by the end of September," said Wolf, whose Chamber held a series of meetings with the landowners about the plan and recommended Fairmount to town officials. Wolf said most landowners she talked with seem inclined to sell or are at least open-minded about it.

"They've been waiting to see what happens," Wolf said. "There has been a sense of anticipation, people just waiting for what the next step is."

Ready to sell

Residents in the targeted area said they have been expecting an offer, and some have even begun planning to move.

Fred Tucker, 74, and his wife, Linda, 69, are selling some of their extra household items to lighten the load once they do sell.

"We're ready," said Fred Tucker, who has lived in the Lantern Road house since 1979. "This house is too big for us anymore. We don't need five bedrooms."

The Tuckers said they own a 65-acre farm in Kentucky they might move to, or they might relocate somewhere more rural east of Indianapolis, like Greenfield.

"The congestion here is getting a little worse all the time," Fred Tucker said. "We like small areas."

Marty Turner, 56, already has sold his lifetime home on South Street -- but not because of the impending town center.

"It's too congested around here as it is," he said outside his home this week, where he, too, was selling off personal belongings. "It isn't the same, and it's going to get worse. My grandmother and mother grew up here, but this is it. My mother died recently, and I'm getting out."

Michele Archer, who owns Archers Meat Market with her husband, Ron, on 116th Street, said she favors the town center, even if it means she will have to move her business.

"I feel we should give development a chance though I don't think a butcher is in their plans," Archer said of the shop, a mainstay in town since 1966, where livestock is still slaughtered and processed.

The butcher shop was allowed to stay on 116th Street through a grandfather clause when the town's zoning changed years ago.

"I don't feel like we are being pushed out; the city has always been very good to us," Archer said.

But other longtime residents say they are too entrenched and like the neighborhood too much to move -- even if offered a chance to move into one of the new homes.

"We don't like the townhouses or the condos. We like it the way it is," said Richard Pipken, 85, who has lived in his Lantern Road home for 18 years. "We should have some rights when they come to take our house instead of being told by these big shots what we should do."

Any ideas as to how tall the buildings will be in this new town center in Fishers?

I wonder what their plans are for 116th Street. Curb-side parking and sidewalks would be nice while maintaining 4 lanes of traffic.

From the IndyStar:



A Taiwan-based computer component manufacturing company plans to add 1,400 jobs over the next two years as part of an expansion in Plainfield, Gov. Mitch Daniels said today as he departed for a trade mission to Japan.


Foxconn Electronics, a division of Q-Edge, in 2006 leased 259,260 square feet in Building 2 of the Plainfield Business Center at 1581 S. Perry Road, according to a statement from CoStar Realty Information.

Daniels said FoxConn would make a multi-million dollar investment to its assembly facility following the company's recent receipt of a significant order from a customer. The governor declined to identify the customer, but noted Foxconn is trying to get another major contact, which would entail more possible jobs.

The governor also announced another Taiwan-based business is moving across the Ohio River border from Kentucky.
ASUS Computer International will move from Louisville to Jeffersonville, bringing 300 jobs.

In 2006, ASUS shipped 55 million motherboards, which means one in three desktop PCs sold last year was powered by an ASUS motherboard, according to the company's Web site.

Daniels headed a 67-member delegation to Japan on what will be his third trade mission to Japan since he took office in 2005. Officials hope the effort will attract Japanese corporations to Indiana.

This is a big time metro area development. The westside sprawl in Indy just made a big leap out to the SR 39/I-70 interchange.

From the Indy Star:

Lauth Property Group said today it will start construction this month on a sprawling industrial park in Hendricks and Morgan counties, once the proposed site for an amusement park.


Westpoint Business Park has 555 acres for 10 distribution buildings totaling 7.1 million square feet, the Indianapolis developer said. The site at I-70 and Ind. 39 will offer warehouse tenants quick interstate access, Lauth said.

The park will be one of the area’s largest. Buildings will range in size from 500,000 to 1.4 million square feet. Groundbreaking for the first building will be next spring.

Lauth developers told Hendricks County officials in December that the project would take about a decade to complete.

Plainfield has become a site for mega-warehouses that cater to retailers and industrial companies looking for storage space in the nation’s midsection, where goods can be trucked to most major markets within a day's drive.

Tag Birge, regional director of Midwest development at Lauth, said in a statement that “the low tax rate of the local community makes Westpoint more affordable than many other new bulk distribution centers in the area.”

Possible uses for the Lauth site have been debated for decades. Developers proposed building an amusement park there with a Garfield the cat theme in the early 1990s.

County officials have agreed to provide $10 million as part of a tax-increment finance district to support the Westpoint project, said Mike Graham, administrator to the Hendricks County Board of Commissioners. However, Graham said, Lauth and county official have yet to execute all of the documents in relation to the TIF.

Computer assembler adding 1,400 workers
State offers Chinese exporter $6.1M in incentives to expand in Plainfield


The giant computer maker regarded as China's single largest exporter is bringing 1,400 jobs to suburban Indianapolis.
FOXCONN ELECTRONICS

• What: Provider of manufacturing, development and assembly services for the computer, communication and consumer-electronics industries, and a division of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co.

• Headquarters: Taiwan.

• History: Terry Gou founded Hon Hai in 1974.

• Employees: 300,000 worldwide, with operations in the Americas, Europe and Asia.

• Annual sales: $28.3 billion.

• Notable customers: Apple, Cisco, Dell, Nokia and Sony.

Sources: Foxconn, Star research

Foxconn plans to hire the workers during the next two years at its Q-Edge computer assembly plant in Plainfield.
Gov. Mitch Daniels disclosed the expansion Friday at a news conference, saying the operation would import components and produce computers for a major brand he declined to name.
Foxconn's customers include Apple, Cisco, Dell, Nokia and Sony.
Indiana has pledged $6.1 million in incentives for the project, while Plainfield has offered property tax cuts for 10 years.
It is not clear what job skills Foxconn would require or how much the company would pay. Daniels released no other details. He made the announcement as he left Indianapolis for an economic trade mission in Japan.
Foxconn, a secretive, low-profile business tied to wealthy Taiwanese entrepreneur Terry Gou, declined to comment.
The company's plans would be the metro area's largest single corporate expansion in the past five years.
The move would help diversify and cushion Indianapolis' economy when downturns grate on particular sectors such as pharmaceuticals, insurance, entertainment and medical devices.
Foxconn, which now employs 300 in Plainfield, is the world's No. 2 contract computer maker, assembling computers and other equipment sold in stores under the names Apple, Hewlett-Packard and other notable brands.
Because electronic components made in China would be flown here for final assembly into computers, the proximity of FedEx's Indianapolis air cargo hub is likely a key reason the company located nearby, said electronics industry analyst Robert Fried, head of Contract Manufacturing Consultants of Bellevue, Wash.
"They are doing well and proved they can do this here and be competitive," said Plainfield Town Manager Rich Carlucci, who recently toured the 269,000-square-foot operation.
Massive plants that manufactured radios, televisions and other electrical consumer appliances made Indiana a 20th-century hotbed for the electrical industry, until the facilities of General Electric, Radio Corp. of America and Thomson disappeared in the past two decades.
A large share of the work was outsourced to Mexico and Asia. Foxconn would restore some of this region's production capacity. Daniels said the company could expand again in Plainfield if it lands a second major customer.
Because Foxconn is regarded as one of the more secretive companies in the global electronics business, it's difficult to determine what its new workers in Plainfield would do. Foxconn's Web site contains a section aimed at dispelling rumors circulating in the industry.
"It's a pretty difficult company to get information about. It's publicity averse. It's the culture," said electronics industry analyst Randall Sherman of New Venture Research in Nevada City, Calif. "It's the leader. He tends to run it that way."
Foxconn employs about 300,000 workers, almost all of them at its gated factory city outside Hong Kong in Shenzhen, China. The complex includes worker dormitories, cafeterias and plants reportedly turning out Apple iPods, Hewlett-Packard personal computers, Motorola cell phones and Nintendo Wii videogame consoles. On Aug. 17, Apple reported that an audit of the complex found no child or forced labor.
Foxconn is part of Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., based in Teipei, Taiwan. Hon Hai, with annual sales surpassing $40 billion, is owned by Terry Gou. He launched his career making plastic parts in his garage in 1974, just in time to expand as the market for personal computers took off.
Now ranked among the 10 richest individuals in Hong Kong, Gou took part of Foxconn public in 2003 on the Hong Kong stock market.

Plainfield is amazing! You have the North-Side burbs kicking ass, then you have Plainfield, lol simply amazing.

You can definitely sense the energy and buzz in Plainfield, Carmel, Fishers, and Noblesville.

You can definitely sense the energy and buzz in Plainfield, Carmel, Fishers, and Noblesville.

Don't forget Greenwood. There's a lot developing down there.

Don't forget Greenwood. There's a lot developing down there.

I haven't read about anything other than the proposed Cabela's.

On a different note, Indy has two suburbs with more than 60,000 people and two with 45,000. Pretty impressive.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070921/LOCAL0505/709210501

8:07 AM September 21, 2007

Plainfield building boom predicted


By Bruce C. Smith
bruce.smith@indystar.com

Tens of millions of dollars in new industrial buildings, retailing and hotels are on the horizon for Plainfield, builders and developers told a packed Plainfield Chamber of Commerce annual briefing Thursday.

Thousands of jobs and nearly 25 million square feet of mostly warehouse, distribution and office space already have come to Plainfield since about 1995, when Airwest and neighboring industrial parks began taking shape.

Among the largest of the new production and distribution facilities is the 1.2-million-square-foot PepsiCo and Gatorade building going up south of I-70.
"That may be the largest building going up in Indiana," said Dave Harstad of Denison Properties. "It is so big that it straddles the line in Indianapolis and Plainfield. It represents 27 acres under roof."

Denison has done key land deals in Plainfield's 2,000 acres of industrial parks and also developed the Saratoga residential subdivision on the west side of town.

Harstad acknowledged that a strip shopping center on U.S. 40 in front of Saratoga has been unexpectedly slow to attract businesses. But, he said, that is improving since a CVS pharmacy opened this summer and is proving that such neighborhood retailing is very successful there.

In other large building projects, John Hirschman of Browning Investments said the first 650,000-square-foot distribution center to be completed next month in the new AllPoints Midwest park is drawing a lot of interest from possible tenants.

Browning and Duke Realty are co-developers of the 925-acre AllPoints, which is in a newly annexed area in Washington Township. The newest of the Plainfield industrial parks could hold at least 7 million square feet of buildings and produce about 5,400 jobs as it builds over the next decade or so.
It is possible because of the new Ronald Reagan Parkway that has opened hundreds of acres in Plainfield for development.

Pat Lindley of Collier Turley Martin Tucker real estate brokers represented the new MetroAir Business Park that fronts the Reagan Parkway. He said, "Plainfield and Central Indiana (are) recognized nationally as a huge success story" for mega distribution centers.

Buildings in the MetroAir park may be more in the 250,000-square-foot range and fit the office and warehouse needs of smaller and mid-sized companies. About half of the 60 acres remains in MetroAir, including land fronting Reagan Parkway and within sight of Indianapolis International Airport.

"We'll wait a little while to see what the market conditions say about that land, for hotels, office, medical or something else," he said.

Steve Medders of Metropolis mall developer Premier Properties said designs are in the works for a 250,000-square-foot expansion on the south end of the Plainfield mall.

"And really exciting in these designs is two hotels that will be on top of the retail space. These would be five stories," he said.

Premier is also considering development of more condominiums, apartments, townhouses or other multi-family housing south of Metropolis.

And some old commercial buildings along Main Street, including a car wash and quick oil change business, will be replaced with new and more upscale businesses, he said.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070921/BUSINESS/709210447

September 21, 2007

Developer targets Westfield for mall
Lifestyle center would feature 430,000 square feet of high-end retail 2 miles north of Clay Terrace


By Bill Ruthhart
bill.ruthhart@indystar.com

WESTFIELD, Ind. -- Plans are in the works for another high-end lifestyle shopping center in Hamilton County, this time along U.S. 31 in the emerging suburb of Westfield.

Proposed: If approved, Lantern Commons at 161st Street and U.S. 31 would open in the fall of 2009. Officials declined to name any stores that might be included in the lifestyle mall. - Image provided by Pine Tree Commercial Realty

A proposal filed with town officials late Thursday calls for 430,000 square feet of retail space on a 64-acre parcel at the northeast corner of 161st Street and U.S. 31. The $83 million project, scheduled to open in the fall of 2009, would be developed by Chicago-based Pine Tree Commercial Realty.
Dubbed Lantern Commons, the development would be slightly smaller than Carmel's Clay Terrace, a 570,000-square-foot lifestyle center just two miles to the south. Thursday's filing also comes just days before the first store is scheduled to open in Hamilton Town Center, an outdoor, 1 million-square-foot lifestyle mall at I-69's Exit 10 in Noblesville.

Lantern Commons will add to Hamilton County's growing presence of high-end retail developments. For Westfield, Thursday's news is a landmark moment.
"This is the largest retail project ever offered in Westfield," said Town Council President Andy Cook. "This is a huge endorsement by the development community on Westfield's direction and a vote of confidence on where this community's heading."

Pine Tree's Barry Herring declined to name specific tenants being considered for the project. The site plan calls for two 100,000-square-foot anchor stores along U.S. 31 and three to six midsize stores.

About 30 boutique shops would be built on the interior of the site, which Herring said would be developed in a park-like setting with a creek running through the middle of the development. Pine Tree has retained Indianapolis-based Colliers Turley Martin Tucker to handle recruitment of tenants.

But with Noblesville's Hamilton Town Center beginning to open stores, Clay Terrace just down the road and plans for thousands of square feet of shopping in Carmel's City Center, will there be enough shoppers to go around for Lantern Commons?

Herring thinks so.

"There will be competition," he said, "but I think there's enough players and enough room in the market for us, or we wouldn't be building this."

Herring said Lantern Commons would be anchored by high-end fashion stores similar to some found at The Fashion Mall and Castleton Square. He said the project wouldn't include a Wal-Mart, Target or any other big-box stores or fast-food restaurants.

"The level of upscale development that is going to go on here will permeate from this site throughout the town to adjacent properties," Herring said. "This will dictate what will be developed around us. We have set the bar very high."

Pine Tree would spend $9.5 million to help build and widen streets in the area around Lantern Commons, including the construction of a roundabout at 161st Street and Westfield Boulevard.

Dave and Missy English live just a block away from there on secluded Woodside Drive. Homes on their dead-end street would back up the development.

A couple of years ago, they and their neighbors successfully fought plans for a Wal-Mart on the site.

"This looks nice, but I'm worried about the traffic," Missy English, 42, said as she sat at her kitchen table, flipping through sketches of the project. "This could have just as much traffic as a Wal-Mart."

Dave English, 45, said that unlike some of his neighbors, he doesn't oppose growth as long as it doesn't hurt his property value. Lantern Commons, he said, could make his neighborhood more appealing.

"There are going to be people on this street who are going to fight this, because they're old-timers and don't want any growth," he said. "But we don't have upscale in Westfield like they do in Carmel. This truly could help the town."

The proposal still has to go through the public hearing process in Westfield and must be approved by the Town Council. Cook expects Lantern Commons to face some opposition.

"It will be interesting to see how this is received, because this is the first kind of this development coming to the town," Cook said. "There will be those who say this is too much, that it's too big, and some will say bring on more.

"Either way, I think people in Westfield realize this kind of growth and progress is coming."

Sometime, I want to read an article where a dumbass question like this:

"But with Noblesville's Hamilton Town Center beginning to open stores, Clay Terrace just down the road and plans for thousands of square feet of shopping in Carmel's City Center, will there be enough shoppers to go around for Lantern Commons?"

gets this response:

"Not a fuckin' chance. But we're going to dump our millions into this baby anyway!"

These malls are ridiculous. But hey, perhaps the farther north they get, the less they'll affect Downtown.

Another suburban mall--er, excuse me, I mean lifestyle centre. Whoop-de-fucking-doo. What do all these malls actually do for our economy?

Another suburban mall--er, excuse me, I mean lifestyle centre. Whoop-de-fucking-doo. What do all these malls actually do for our economy?

Not much I suspect. The wages paid to employees aren't very high, and I think Hamilton County has reached a commercial saturation point.

There are only so many rich teenagers in north metro Indy.:lol:

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070923/LOCAL/709230416

September 23, 2007

Town chooses city life over green acres
Building boom may triple Westfield's population

By Bill Ruthhart
bill.ruthhart@indystar.com

WESTFIELD, Ind. -- Surrounding the crates of squash, pumpkins and watermelons at Randy Bilskie's roadside produce stand are fields of golden corn and soybeans.

Change coming: Some farm fields will be replaced with new homes and businesses as Westfield grows. - MATT KRYGER / The Star
About Westfield

Founded in 1834 by Quakers, the town was once an important stop on the Underground Railroad. Westfield will become a city on Jan. 1 and anticipates its population of 24,000 soaring to 70,000 when planned homes are built.

For 10 years, Bilskie has enjoyed the rural scenery around his old Hamilton County farmhouse as he's made a living selling farm-fresh food, antiques and even a few used cars on his land west of Westfield on Ind. 32.

Soon, those farm fields will be replaced with fresh concrete, neon lights and new neighborhoods as Westfield reaches the brink of a construction boom that ultimately could triple its population, making it the latest hot spot in the state's fastest-growing county.

Developers have the go-ahead to build more than 11,000 housing units on more than 4,000 acres, plus nearly 4 million square feet of commercial space.
"That will all be houses," Bilskie says, pointing across the street to a sea of soybeans. Then, he looks to his right, where tall stalks of corn are almost ready for harvest. "There will be a strip center over there. We'll probably get a Red Lobster or something, maybe an Applebee's.

"It's nothing I really want to see, but what can you do?"

The anticipated building boom is sad for those like Bilskie, 35, who moved to Westfield to enjoy its rural setting.

Town leaders, though, count it as an opportunity to create a new identity for Westfield, which officially will become a city Jan. 1.

It's also seen as a chance to mend a town once divided over a supermarket development and the ensuing annexation feud with neighboring Carmel.

In recent months, a surge of new developments has been approved, but when and whether those plans reach fruition could depend on how soon a sluggish housing market rebounds.

In the meantime, plans are in the works for redevelopment along Main Street and an extensive network of trails, which would include swinging the Monon Trail off its rail line and through Westfield's downtown.

"This is the most important time in Westfield's history since 1834, when the town was founded," said 71-year-old Mic Mead, a Westfield resident and former Town Council member.

"Nothing ever happened here. We were just a farm town with a railroad. Now, we're growing up."

Rough road to development

Westfield has had many growing pains along the way.

They started with a vote by the Town Council in 2004 to rezone unincorporated farmland for a Kroger supermarket development at 161st Street and Spring Mill Road. The council approved the project over the protests of more than 800 residents, who wanted the town to keep a previously made promise to develop the area with homes.

Many who opposed the plan had little recourse because Westfield had not yet annexed the area. Some sought annexation into Carmel, which they said would plan the area better, while others started a grass-roots campaign to elect write-in candidates to the Town Council.

A yearlong annexation battle between the two communities followed. Westfield ultimately won, but only after dangling hefty residential property tax abatements that Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard refused to match.

"That incident really divided the town. It put neighbor against neighbor," Town Council President Andy Cook said. "The zoning debacle, the Brainard annexation wars -- it all made most people suddenly realize that we really are on the edge of growth."

Westfield annexed the land in 2006, helping to boost its population from 9,000 to more than 24,000. Residents in that area now have representation on the Town Council, which has undergone dramatic turnover.

All but one of the council members in place at the time of the Kroger vote are gone, replaced by candidates who say they are committed to following the town's new master development plans and have increased the standards for developers to build in Westfield.

"Before, Westfield's reputation for development was not favorable," said Cook, the Republican front-runner to become Westfield's first mayor when the town becomes a city. "There just wasn't a clear direction and a vision."

"We want nice stuff"

With the new vision have come higher standards.

"The era of a developer coming along, buying cheap land, blessing the farmer he bought it from and the town fathers giving them anything they wanted -- those days are over," Mead said. "We want nice stuff."

The town has approved plenty of developments recently.

Ten housing projects approved by the town total 11,230 housing units on 4,266 acres, with most of the homes yet to be built. More than 3.8 million square feet of commercial space also is planned in those developments -- roughly six times the size of Carmel's Clay Terrace.

In addition to those projects, Chicago-based Pine Tree Commercial Realty filed plans Thursday to build Lantern Commons, a 430,000-square-foot lifestyle shopping center at 161st Street and U.S. 31.

Developers Beau Wilfong and Jose Kreutz, though, will build the largest project planned for the town: Eagletown of Westfield.

That $1.1 billion development is to break ground in the spring and encompass nearly 1,000 acres with 3,000 homes and 1.5 million square feet of commercial development.

When asked whether Westfield's change in leadership and standards has helped fuel developments like his, Wilfong didn't hesitate.

"Absolutely," he said. "I think Westfield is beginning to show they are the apparent heir to Carmel's upscale development."

More people, more traffic

Not everyone is thrilled with the growth.

Eagletown of Westfield and other projects would surround Bilskie's produce stand on Ind. 32. Losing Westfield's rural roots doesn't excite Bilskie's sister, Patty Beller, who works the register at Bilskie Farms.

"No one out here likes any of this. They moved out here to be in the country," said Beller, 48. "This will bring more people, traffic, and the taxes are just unreal. We're not happy campers."

Jill Butterfield, 51, a nurse, has gotten a taste of what's to come.
Workers are digging a new, $14 million sewer line for future development just beyond her country home on Spring Mill Road.

"This is not what I came out here for. I never dreamed it would be like this," said Butterfield, gazing at the sewer construction with Max, her 160-pound St. Bernard, at her feet.

"I don't think they realize that once they take all of this away, they can never put it back."

Like many growing towns, Westfield struggles to balance its small-town roots with its suburban future. Westfield's new slogan -- "Old Town Charm, New City Style" -- reflects that.

"You have people whose families have been around town for generations and still see Westfield as a little, 5,000-population town outside of Indianapolis," said Jim Anderson, a local business owner. "Then you have that generation of people coming in who believe they live on the cutting edge of the growth.
"Blending those two is the challenge."

How fast Westfield develops will depend on a shaky housing market. Building permit statistics show Central Indiana is on pace for 7,500 new homes this year, half the total of five years ago.

"Westfield probably will not experience as much growth as it would have had the housing market not fallen off," said Roger Stephens, a director for the Builders Association of Greater Indianapolis.

The town's total number of housing permits has declined in recent years, from about 600 in 2002 to 405 last year, but there are signs of a rebound. Westfield is the only fast-growing community in the metro area ahead of its housing-permit pace from this time a year ago, with 296 approved so far in 2007 compared to 288 last year.

"That's a good sign," Wilfong said.

Needed: bigger tax base

Westfield needs to build more than houses.

The town's school district is recognized as one of the region's best, but with growth comes the expense of additional schools. The same goes for municipal services, and Westfield's tax base is largely residential, placing the burden on homeowners.

Complicating the matter is the fact that Westfield stands to lose 10 percent of its commercial tax base under the state's preliminary plans to expand U.S. 31, which splits the town. Toss in four years of tax breaks for residents in the area recently annexed, and the need for Westfield to attract more commercial development to share the tax load is evident.

Cook and the Town Council say they think redeveloping Westfield's downtown could be key to driving economic development. Part of the aging downtown will be wiped out when the state widens Ind. 32 in the coming years.
The Town Council is considering plans that would convert downtown floodplains into scenic waterways.

Westfield also plans to extend the Monon Trail north of 146th Street from Carmel. Instead of keeping the trail on its old railway, Westfield wants to cross the greenway over to the east side of U.S. 31 so it can pass through downtown.

There, it would cross with the Midland Trace Trail, an old east-west railway planned as a greenway.

"This new generation sees the trails as an opportunity, because right now the trails would cross in a McDonald's parking lot west of U.S. 31," said Anderson, who leads Westfield's downtown neighborhood association.

"But if you bring them through here, we believe we can use the trails to help build a sustainable downtown economy."

Town leaders are counting on the trails, waterways, a strong school district and new developments to redefine Westfield's image.

"Right now people look at Westfield as the place that's north of Carmel, and that's about it," Cook said. "But five years from now, I think they'll look at Westfield as a place with a specific identity known for its quality of life.
"It's our turn now. Stay tuned."

^^ Since the state is going to upgrade and widen US 31 and SR 32, I suppose Westfield will be able to handle all of this development.

LMAO, Carmel is now an "inner" suburb. The metro growth in Indy is simply amazing.

By 2010 Carmel, Fishers, and Westfield will all have around 70,000 inhabitants and Noblesville will be over 50,000.

That's pretty close, except that Westfield won't have 70,000 people in 2010. With only about 25,000 people now, triplings in just a bit over two years isn't in the cards. Plus, we may see a major deceleration in population growth with the housing market troubles.

That's pretty close, except that Westfield won't have 70,000 people in 2010. With only about 25,000 people now, triplings in just a bit over two years isn't in the cards. Plus, we may see a major deceleration in population growth with the housing market troubles.

Are other cities witnessing such massive growth and development in their suburbs?

It is crazy in central Indiana. I don't know what to make of it.

I always expected these areas to grow but not so explosively.

Can the infrastructure keep up? And that includes not only roads but parks, schools, and police and fire stations.

Not quite as fast, but just as explosive is the Hendricks County suburbs. Hendricks County was in the top 30 fastest a couple years ago right along side Hamilton County. Then Greenwood is exploding also. So, Hendricks county, Hamilton county, and greenwood.

When is the metro population expected to eclipse 2,000,000? In time for the 2010 census?

When is the metro population expected to eclipse 2,000,000? In time for the 2010 census?

STATS Indiana (http://www.stats.indiana.edu/profiles/prmsa3480.html) estimates 1,821,313 in 2010.

St. Vincent broke ground today on its new medical facility at the Saxony Development at the intersection of SR 238 and I-69 in SE Hamilton County.

Traffic at the corner of Olio and 238 is going to be HORRIBLE when Saxony comes on line.

Interesting that Anderson is included in our metro on that site. I am going crazy analyzing whether it is or is not every time I see a statistic. My guess is that estimate is about 45-50,000 people off, the projections are probably a little conservative. Plus it is the midwest, no one expects it to really add people :) Anyone else think that 1.821 million will be higher/lower/right-on?

Interesting that Anderson is included in our metro on that site. I am going crazy analyzing whether it is or is not every time I see a statistic. My guess is that estimate is about 45-50,000 people off, the projections are probably a little conservative. Plus it is the midwest, no one expects it to really add people :) Anyone else think that 1.821 million will be higher/lower/right-on?

Would've thunk "thought" our metro was just AT 2 million! Quite honestly i dont see why it is not... :nuts:

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070926/LOCAL01/709260339/1177/LOCAL010203

September 26, 2007

Mini new urbanism
Project wants work, fun, shops all within walking distance

By Chris Sikich
chris.sikich@indystar.com

Noblesville and Fishers officials have for years distanced themselves from the idea of being bedroom communities to Indianapolis by touting their city and town as places where people can live, shop and play.

The developer of a 750-acre area straddling the border of the town and city at I-69's Exit 10 is going one step further, saying folks soon will be able to do all of that without leaving their neighborhood.

It's called new urbanism, a throwback to old downtowns where people can walk to work, to grab a cup of coffee or a bite to eat, explained Rick Arnos, president of Ohio-based Republic Development. Parking is generally behind buildings, and stores are close to the street.

Republic is building Saxony, a $500 million, mixed-use project that was approved in 2002 and is planned to feature 1 million square feet of retail, 31/2 million square feet of office/industrial and 1,300 homes.

At Saxony, several office buildings and corporate headquarters are open, and several more are under construction. Ken S. Deuser, senior vice president of Saxony Management Co., is working on deals for the nearly complete Bonn building, a 36,000-square-foot center within walking distance of many homes, and could lure a coffee shop, restaurant and fitness center.

"New urbanism is really a way of talking about development and looking backward and drawing from the best practices of development in the past," Arnos said.

There's a lot to be said for the small-town atmosphere of a courthouse surrounded by a downtown area, like in Noblesville, he said.

What can make traditional downtowns struggle, though, is lack of significant infrastructure, parking and arterial streets for driving and extensive commercial uses. What new urbanism tries to mimic, he said, is walkability and having businesses close to the street instead of behind large parking lots.

"That's not to say one is better than the other," he said. "The character of a town setting is priceless."

The best examples of new urbanism in the Indy area, he said, are the mixed-use developments of the Village of WestClay, Saxony and Anson. WestClay is a 686-acre project in Carmel, and Anson covers 1,700 acres in Boone County.

Ken Heer, who has doctorates in education and divinity, works at the Wesleyan Church World Headquarters in Saxony and lives in the nearby Hannover on the Green, a neighborhood of town homes within Saxony.
Heer drives to work because he sometimes needs his car but walks home for lunch. He's hoping the Bonn building attracts a restaurant and coffee shop so he can walk there. He and his wife, who were among the first to move into the addition, will have lived there for two years in November.

"We were attracted to the total community aspect that we could be right here and have ready access to anything we wanted," he said.

Co-worker Joann Eastburn lives in the same addition and likes the walkability. Safe streets, good neighbors and open spaces make it a good place to bring her grandchildren.

"I go out of an evening or in the morning and walk around," she said. "I don't ever have to walk down small side streets, and everything is lit up."

^^ bleh. Certainly much better than 90s subdivisions, but definatley not my taste.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070926/LOCAL01/709260339/1177/LOCAL010203

September 26, 2007

Mini new urbanism
Project wants work, fun, shops all within walking distance

By Chris Sikich
chris.sikich@indystar.com

Noblesville and Fishers officials have for years distanced themselves from the idea of being bedroom communities to Indianapolis by touting their city and town as places where people can live, shop and play.

The developer of a 750-acre area straddling the border of the town and city at I-69's Exit 10 is going one step further, saying folks soon will be able to do all of that without leaving their neighborhood.

It's called new urbanism, a throwback to old downtowns where people can walk to work, to grab a cup of coffee or a bite to eat, explained Rick Arnos, president of Ohio-based Republic Development. Parking is generally behind buildings, and stores are close to the street.

Republic is building Saxony, a $500 million, mixed-use project that was approved in 2002 and is planned to feature 1 million square feet of retail, 31/2 million square feet of office/industrial and 1,300 homes.

At Saxony, several office buildings and corporate headquarters are open, and several more are under construction. Ken S. Deuser, senior vice president of Saxony Management Co., is working on deals for the nearly complete Bonn building, a 36,000-square-foot center within walking distance of many homes, and could lure a coffee shop, restaurant and fitness center.

"New urbanism is really a way of talking about development and looking backward and drawing from the best practices of development in the past," Arnos said.

There's a lot to be said for the small-town atmosphere of a courthouse surrounded by a downtown area, like in Noblesville, he said.

What can make traditional downtowns struggle, though, is lack of significant infrastructure, parking and arterial streets for driving and extensive commercial uses. What new urbanism tries to mimic, he said, is walkability and having businesses close to the street instead of behind large parking lots.

"That's not to say one is better than the other," he said. "The character of a town setting is priceless."

The best examples of new urbanism in the Indy area, he said, are the mixed-use developments of the Village of WestClay, Saxony and Anson. WestClay is a 686-acre project in Carmel, and Anson covers 1,700 acres in Boone County.

Ken Heer, who has doctorates in education and divinity, works at the Wesleyan Church World Headquarters in Saxony and lives in the nearby Hannover on the Green, a neighborhood of town homes within Saxony.
Heer drives to work because he sometimes needs his car but walks home for lunch. He's hoping the Bonn building attracts a restaurant and coffee shop so he can walk there. He and his wife, who were among the first to move into the addition, will have lived there for two years in November.

"We were attracted to the total community aspect that we could be right here and have ready access to anything we wanted," he said.

Co-worker Joann Eastburn lives in the same addition and likes the walkability. Safe streets, good neighbors and open spaces make it a good place to bring her grandchildren.

"I go out of an evening or in the morning and walk around," she said. "I don't ever have to walk down small side streets, and everything is lit up."

Seriously, this sounds like an article i'd find in the Indy Star 4-5 years ago ABOUT Carmel! This new-urbanism really isn't new at all... It's tired & it's trite! It's about time one of our surrounding suburbs can build some cutting edge shit! Perhaps The Venu can change this?

Saxony and "new urbanism" in general are just new ways of sheltering people from the outside world. How about some "new urbanism" in a genuinely urban environment. Why build these projects in the middle of cornfields?

From the IndyStar:


Farm fields once proposed for a Simon regional shopping mall might instead spout an apartment and business complex to be proposed next week.


Developers are expected to unveil plans Monday for about 100 acres of along Ind. 267 and in front of the new Plainfield High School.

Developer Don Stafford of Olympia Partners said the project, to be named Quaker Ridge, envisions approximately 308 upscale apartment units for rent and 108 condominiums for sale.

About 27 acres of the site, northwest of the interchange of Ind. 267 with I-70, are earmarked for commercial and some other business development.
The developers hope to lure medical office buildings or even a facility associated with one of the Indianapolis regional hospitals, which have been scouting Hendricks County for building sites.

Stafford said preliminary design includes construction of trails on the Quaker Ridge site.

Much like the Carmel and northside residential developers tout their projects that can link to the Monon Trail, the developers of Quaker Ridge see the connections to Plainfield's growing network of hiking and bicycling trails.
About six acres on the Quaker Ridge site will be donated to the town for park land.

Stafford said the rents will be slightly above market rate, ranging from $800 to $1,400 depending on the number of bedrooms.

But the apartments, to be built by Flaherty & Collins Properties, are to be enhanced in quality and amenities to justify the rents, he said.
The design is to be similar to the 264-unit Central Park apartment complex that Flaherty & Collins is building a couple miles away next to the Metropolis mall.

He said the upscale features of the whole site are intended to appeal to young professionals, like those working nearby at the high school, or across the highway in Plainfield's sprawling industrial and office parks. And Metropolis mall is a few minutes away by car or bike.

A study commissioned by the developers found that the residential portion of Quaker Ridge -- not counting the office, retail or medical buildings still to be determined -- will pay about $500,000 a year in property taxes.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070921/BUSINESS/709210447

September 21, 2007

Developer targets Westfield for mall
Lifestyle center would feature 430,000 square feet of high-end retail 2 miles north of Clay Terrace


By Bill Ruthhart
bill.ruthhart@indystar.com

WESTFIELD, Ind. -- Plans are in the works for another high-end lifestyle shopping center in Hamilton County, this time along U.S. 31 in the emerging suburb of Westfield.

Proposed: If approved, Lantern Commons at 161st Street and U.S. 31 would open in the fall of 2009. Officials declined to name any stores that might be included in the lifestyle mall. - Image provided by Pine Tree Commercial Realty

A proposal filed with town officials late Thursday calls for 430,000 square feet of retail space on a 64-acre parcel at the northeast corner of 161st Street and U.S. 31. The $83 million project, scheduled to open in the fall of 2009, would be developed by Chicago-based Pine Tree Commercial Realty.
Dubbed Lantern Commons, the development would be slightly smaller than Carmel's Clay Terrace, a 570,000-square-foot lifestyle center just two miles to the south. Thursday's filing also comes just days before the first store is scheduled to open in Hamilton Town Center, an outdoor, 1 million-square-foot lifestyle mall at I-69's Exit 10 in Noblesville.

Lantern Commons will add to Hamilton County's growing presence of high-end retail developments. For Westfield, Thursday's news is a landmark moment.
"This is the largest retail project ever offered in Westfield," said Town Council President Andy Cook. "This is a huge endorsement by the development community on Westfield's direction and a vote of confidence on where this community's heading."

Pine Tree's Barry Herring declined to name specific tenants being considered for the project. The site plan calls for two 100,000-square-foot anchor stores along U.S. 31 and three to six midsize stores.

About 30 boutique shops would be built on the interior of the site, which Herring said would be developed in a park-like setting with a creek running through the middle of the development. Pine Tree has retained Indianapolis-based Colliers Turley Martin Tucker to handle recruitment of tenants.

But with Noblesville's Hamilton Town Center beginning to open stores, Clay Terrace just down the road and plans for thousands of square feet of shopping in Carmel's City Center, will there be enough shoppers to go around for Lantern Commons?

Herring thinks so.

"There will be competition," he said, "but I think there's enough players and enough room in the market for us, or we wouldn't be building this."

Herring said Lantern Commons would be anchored by high-end fashion stores similar to some found at The Fashion Mall and Castleton Square. He said the project wouldn't include a Wal-Mart, Target or any other big-box stores or fast-food restaurants.

"The level of upscale development that is going to go on here will permeate from this site throughout the town to adjacent properties," Herring said. "This will dictate what will be developed around us. We have set the bar very high."

Pine Tree would spend $9.5 million to help build and widen streets in the area around Lantern Commons, including the construction of a roundabout at 161st Street and Westfield Boulevard.

Dave and Missy English live just a block away from there on secluded Woodside Drive. Homes on their dead-end street would back up the development.

A couple of years ago, they and their neighbors successfully fought plans for a Wal-Mart on the site.

"This looks nice, but I'm worried about the traffic," Missy English, 42, said as she sat at her kitchen table, flipping through sketches of the project. "This could have just as much traffic as a Wal-Mart."

Dave English, 45, said that unlike some of his neighbors, he doesn't oppose growth as long as it doesn't hurt his property value. Lantern Commons, he said, could make his neighborhood more appealing.

"There are going to be people on this street who are going to fight this, because they're old-timers and don't want any growth," he said. "But we don't have upscale in Westfield like they do in Carmel. This truly could help the town."

The proposal still has to go through the public hearing process in Westfield and must be approved by the Town Council. Cook expects Lantern Commons to face some opposition.

"It will be interesting to see how this is received, because this is the first kind of this development coming to the town," Cook said. "There will be those who say this is too much, that it's too big, and some will say bring on more.

"Either way, I think people in Westfield realize this kind of growth and progress is coming."


...why don't they just expand Clay Terrace?

We should be learning what happens when a city/metro builds too many malls. Look at Columbus for example. So many malls were built, they have a surplus of vacant/dead malls. This should be a lesson for Central Indiana not to make the same mistakes.

...why don't they just expand Clay Terrace?

We should be learning what happens when a city/metro builds too many malls. Look at Columbus for example. So many malls were built, they have a surplus of vacant/dead malls. This should be a lesson for Central Indiana not to make the same mistakes.

I don't know, perhaps, but Hoosiers do love their malls.

If there's any place in the metro that can support more malls, it's the Northside. It's growing the fastest and is the wealthiest.

Among other things, the Westfield development is by a different developer than Clay Terrace.

I realize over-retailing might seem bad, and I do believe that local governments should take steps - such as forcing developers to post redevelopment bonds for all new malls that would pay out if certain conditions occured - to make sure they don't get stuck with empty big boxes. But Soviet style central planned and directed development isn't the answer.

The SR 267/I-70 interchange is going to be incredibly crowded when all of these hotels and developments around it are completed.

I hope the state widens the portion of 267 south of 70 until it makes that big 90 degree turn to the west.

On Monday, October 1st, the new stretch of 146th Street from Cumberland Road to I-69 opened for traffic.

The road is not completely finished but at least traffic is flowing better around the huge Saxony development.

This new stretch of 146th Street is a very important artery in Hamilton County. It was also positive to read in the IndyStar that county officials have plans to widen 146th from Spring Mill to the Boone/Hamilton County line but have not secured funding for that project yet.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071003/LOCAL0103/71003040

New $300M Westfield project planned
By Melanie D. Hayes

Construction could begin as soon as next spring on a 315-acre development in Westfield that will offer an area to live, work and play.

The Aurora development, a $300 million investment, will be developed as residential, commercial, light industrial and retail areas, said Chris White, president of CR White Development. It will also include a public park.
It’s located east of U.S. 31 and bordered on the north by Ind. 38 and on the east by Grassy Branch Road.

“As Westfield grows, we see the growth continue up and down the (U.S.) 31 corridor,” White said, during a presentation to about 50 Westfield Chamber of Commerce members Monday afternoon.

White has been working on this project for two years, and plans to break ground in the spring. The farmland was purchased from six landowners, he said.

“There are not a lot of shovel-ready sites in Westfield,” White said. “Here the utilities and streets are ready to go.”

The Westfield Town Council approved rezoning for the project last year, said senior planner Al Salzman.

It’s one of 10 housing projects approved by the town that total 11,230 housing units on 4,266 acres, with most of the homes yet to be built. More than 3.8 million square feet of commercial space also is planned in those developments — roughly six times the size of Carmel’s Clay Terrace.

In addition to those projects, a Chicago-based developer filed plans to build Lantern Commons, a 430,000-square-foot lifestyle shopping center at 161st Street and U.S. 31.

The next step for White on the Aurora development is to apply for a development plan review, which delves more into the technical aspects of the development.

Once the project meets the planning staff’s recommendations, Salzman said, it will be forwarded to the Westfield Washington Plan Commission. A public hearing will be scheduled and adjoining landowners will be notified, he said. The commission will determine whether it complies with the town’s zoning standards.

“If it’s compliant, it will go forward,” Salzman said.

The 10-year project will be divided into four phases, with the first phase completed from 2008-13.

“It (the first phase) will consist of the light industrial area in the center of the project along with some of the empty nester condominiums and some apartments,” White said. “It’s a combination of residential and industrial warehouses. The majority of utilities are coming in through State Road 38, which will be our main access point.”

It will include a variety of residential styles, but no single-dwelling unattached homes.

The Villas will be geared to empty nesters with quad condominium homes. The 120 ranch-style units will have stone and brick exterior, White said.

The Gardens will offer duplexes for empty nesters. There will be 84 units on 17 acres.

The Townes will have town homes with 238 units on 40 acres.

The Vistas will be a 36-acre apartment complex where up to 260 units are permitted, White said.

An L-shaped portion of land with a wooded area will be turned into a park.

“We will also have a 24-acre park donated to the city of Westfield as a public park that will have trails and other features,” White said. “We’ve joined with the town to develop an open spaced area that will not only be used by residents but by the public, too.”

There will also be a variety of commercial uses in the development.

The 56-acre Business Parke will be adjacent to U.S. 31 and can be used for offices, hotels and some retail on the first floor of the office buildings.

The 85-acre Commerce Parke will provide an area for light industrial use including office space and warehouses.

White emphasized the need for Westfield to be competitive and draw businesses in.

“Carmel and Noblesville, they are ahead of the curve,” he said. “We have to catch up.”

http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=135&ArticleID=37003

10/7/2007 10:07:00 AM Email this article • Print this article
Anderson lobbies for $100 million railroad project funding assistance

(Anderson) Herald Bulletin
Jessica Kerman, Herald Bulletin

jessica.kerman@heraldbulletin.com

In an effort to improve traffic flow in Anderson, the city is working toward funding for an almost $100 million project to get trains off the streets.

"We are asking for a total of six grade crossings with a cost estimate in the $100 million range," said Rob Sparks, chairman of the Board of Public Works.

On Sept. 26 and 27, Sparks and two representatives from Indianapolis-based design firm HNTB, traveled to Washington, D.C., to talk to legislators and the House of Representatives Transportation and Infrastructure Committee about receiving funding for the project.

"They were really impressed," Sparks said.

In 2005, the city received a $1 million grant for a railroad study. It consisted of three parts: preliminary grade separation alignment studies, railroad corridor consolidation and abandonment study and environmental assessment for the entire project.

"We have received a green light by all three rail companies (CSX Corp., Norfolk Southern Corp. and Central Indiana and Western Railroad) on this project," Sparks said.

The project would set the railroad either over or under the street at locations on the following thoroughfares:

- Raible Avenue/38th Street

- Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard

- Columbus Avenue

- Scatterfield Road/Indiana 9

- Main Street (replacement)

- 25th Street

The project would not reduce train traffic in the city, but it would reduce congestion and delays caused by trains because they would not pass on the road anymore.

"Train traffic will only increase in the future," Sparks said, referring to gas prices as a factor in companies' decisions to use trains instead of trucks.

Each grade separation would cost about $15 million dollars per crossing, Sparks said. The proposed plan would relocate two railroad tracks in the downtown or near-downtown area. According to information Sparks provided, the relocation would remove safety and delays from the 33 trains that come through the city daily.

Also, it would eliminate 34 grade crossings, relieve traffic congestion on some of the most traveled roads in the city, improve response time for public safety and emergency departments and stabilize "core" neighborhoods.

The federal money would come over a five-year period if it is awarded, Sparks said.

"The timing of the next bill is perfect for us," he said.

Sparks said he hoped to get funding from a bill that would be voted on in spring 2009.

"You've got to plant seeds pretty early to get traction," he said.

Lafayette did a similar project that took about 20 years to complete. Sparks said that Anderson is taking a different approach by doing all of it at once. By doing all of the projects at once, the city reduces its costs, he said.

"It's kind of gutsy," he said. "This project should have been done 30 to 40 years ago."

That would be nice if they could get that project started - and then - while they're working on the redesign of some of the rail corridor segments through town, get some funds from the FTA to also help get the Muncie, Anderson, Fishers, Indpls commuter rail corridor planned. They might be able to build some commuter tracks near / adjacent to the existing freight tracks. If they're planning to build new grade separated tracks for freight, they might be able to design the bridges to fit another track for commuter rail. I believe the commuter rail possibilities are being studied now by some state legislative committee.

Arenn-

Thanks for posting. Having grown up in A-town, I am very familiar with the constant train traffic that is always crossing the City. Especially Scatterfield Road, which is the City's primary commercial arterial. Just this weekened I was stopped by a train and commented on how I am only stopped by trains when I am in Anderson.

I hope this happenes and yes, this is decades over due. They have a powerful congressperson in DC, so he may be able to get them the money!

Investor plans $100M Greenwood project
Tue. October 09 - 2007

IBJ Staff

Three local businessmen are planning a $100 million upscale residential neighborhood in Greenwood adjacent to Hickory Stick Golf Course.

Allen Zaring and Pete Hils, founders of former local homebuilder Zaring National Corp., and Scott Estridge have formed Scott Homes LLC. The group purchased about 75 acres from National City Bank, which acquired the land out of foreclosure from several prior owners.

The trio plans to build 210 homes priced from $250,000 to $1 million. And they're not worried about the sluggish housing market.

"We think the area here is perfect for empty nesters who want a nice place to live and being on a golf course will make it even more attractive to them," Hils said.

Three models are going up now and should be finished by January, Hils said. A 2,700-square-foot home has already sold for $320,000.Zaring National was sold to Kentucky-based Drees Homes in the early 1990s. The founders remained with the company until recently deciding to form their new company. While with Zaring, they developed Lakes at Hazel Dell in Carmel about five years ago.

Neighbors banking on Cabela's
Outdoor retailer's Southside store already is raising hopes, land prices
By Jason Thomas

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071009/BUSINESS/710090351/1003/BUSINESS

GREENWOOD, Ind. -- As soon as she heard that Cabela's was building a 125,000-square-foot facility practically in her backyard, Teresa Denien had a vision.

"Dollar signs," said Denien, whose 150-year-old farmhouse borders the planned megastore for hunters and outdoor enthusiasts at I-65 and County Line Road in northern Johnson County.

"When Cabela's announced, I just saw dollar signs."

Denien and her husband, John, are not alone, as commercial real estate developers seek to capitalize on a facility that is expected to draw 3.5 million visitors annually from Indiana and neighboring states.

And the asking price is steep, up to $784,000 an acre for some property. More than 84 acres surrounding the Cabela's site are expected to fetch some of the highest prices of any real estate in Central Indiana -- even higher than prime soil at high-profile developments like Hamilton Town Center at I-69's Exit 10 in Hamilton County, real estate experts say.

"I think it's definitely going to add a whole new perspective to destination retail," said Randy Scheidt, president of Don R. Scheidt & Co., a real estate consulting and appraisal company headquartered in Indianapolis.

"People will definitely be driving not just from Central Indiana, but also from Kentucky and Cincinnati. You're going to see a lot of weekend getaways there."

That is what Scott Langdon has been banking on for the past decade as he invested in farmland along County Line Road near I-65.

Although the interchange has been slow to develop, the arrival of a Wal-Mart supercenter last year -- and Gander Mountain, archrival of Cabela's -- served notice that the area was poised for commercial growth.

"I expect industrial users to find the area more desirable because of the close proximity of amenities such as Cabela's, and the other developments in the area," said Tag Birge, first vice president for Lauth Property Group, which is developing the 265-acre Southpoint Business Park south of Cabela's.

After a year-and-a-half of negotiations, Langdon, owner of Indianapolis-based Langdon Real Estate Services, on Aug. 30 closed the deal with Cabela's for about 100 acres at the southwest corner of County Line Road and Graham Road.

Langdon represents a group of investors that has acquired land surrounding Cabela's on all fronts.

A 10-acre chunk directly east of the site at the southeast corner of County Line and Graham is Langdon's piece de resistance.
"It will be as prime of a corner that you could possibly get once Cabela's opens," he said.

Hence the asking price: Langdon is seeking as much as $784,000 an acre. In comparison, J.C. Penney paid more than $529,000 an acre last year for its land at Hamilton Town Center near Exit 10, according to the Hamilton County assessor's office.

Goodrich Quality Theater paid just more than $900,000 an acre for 5 acres at Hamilton Town Center, according to the assessor's office.

"Once we can prove to retailers that everything we're saying is true, that Cabela's will bring in 3.5 million visitors a year, they'll pay that," Langdon said. "It's just a matter of time."

Cabela's, which received approval from the Greenwood City Council in June for an $18 million bond issue, is expected to break ground any day.
The outdoor retailer and Splash Universe, which will operate a hotel and water park next to Cabela's, will occupy about 30 percent of the 100-acre parcel. Cabela's, which is responsible for developing the remaining acreage, has been mum on potential tenants.

"We're waiting to hear back from them on what they're going to do with it," Langdon said.

Langdon is asking just more than $300,000 an acre for 43 acres that borders Cabela's property to the south and a 32-acre chunk at the southwest corner of County Line and Arlington Avenue in Marion County -- land Langdon closed on last week.

As far as potential investors, Langdon is aiming high: He has e-mailed hip Swedish home furnishings giant IKEA. Joseph Roth, spokesman for IKEA North America, said there are no plans for a store in Indianapolis.

Cabela's arrival also has caught the attention of Indianapolis officials. The Marion County parcel directly north of Cabela's is a part of Mayor Bart Peterson's speculative tax-abatement program -- created to lure industrial development to Franklin Township.

"Having Cabela's across the street completely changes the outlook for that property," said Margaret Banning, administrator for community economic development with Indianapolis.
The anticipated commercial growth has rankled some who are leery of suburban sprawl.

But Bob Kraft, director of state government relations for Indiana Farm Bureau, a farmer advocacy organization, said development was inevitable once the County Line interchange opened about seven years ago.

"Once the interchange goes in, that pretty much tags the surrounding area for further development," he said. "In the broad, global view, we don't like to see farmland lost. . . . But I can't say we're opposed to the Cabela's project. It will provide some opportunities for our members."

Something to keep an eye on in my opinion is the annexation of Geist by Fishers and the competing incorporation drive. Whether or not Fishers ends up with Geist or not isn't the issue, but I believe that this has the big potential to poison inter-governmental relations in Hamilton County. Just look at what's been going on in Boone County to see what bad blood between a town and the Commissioners can come to.

There is clear case law that supports Fishers right to annex over Geist's right to incorporate. This is the "first in time, first in right" principle of common law. The Commissioners have accepted the petition on incorporation, however, and will hold a public hearing December 10th. If the Commissioners adopt the same "We don't care if it is legal or will stand up in court" approach that Boone County adopted and moves forward with incorporation, I'd expect an irreparable breach between the Commissioners and Fishers - and likely any other town with annexation ambitions.

The best move for the Commissioners is to consider not just the merits of the application, but also the likelihood of legal success in their decision. I would suggest they table the incorporation until the Fishers annexation plays out, then prepare to move forward with it when/if annexation fails and there's a clear legal case to do so.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071022/LOCAL0104/71022027

Hamilton County population may double by 2040

By Tania E. Lopez
tania.e.lopez@indystar.com

Consultants hired by the county to track how future growth will affect the Downtown Noblesville area are expected to announce today that Hamilton County’s population could double before 2040.

Larry Dawson of Envoy said population projections will be part of his presentation to the Hamilton County Commissioners at its meeting at 1 p.m. today at the Government and Judicial Center. The county hired Envoy to track the growth of employees working at the government center, the number of parking spaces available and how future growth will affect the downtown.

According to information presented last week by Hamilton County Alliance President Jeff Burt, the county’s 2007 census estimate is now 256,233 — more than 40 percent more than 2000. He forecasted the population to be at 306,515 by 2012.

The Envoy study was initiated after the county council and commissioners disagreed in March on the best use for the First Indiana Bank at Clinton and Ninth streets. The council wanted to raze the building and create parking spaces for county employees, while at least two of the commissioners expressed interest in using the building for office space.

The county has more than 600 full-time employees, with a little more than 300 working at the Government and Judicial Center and the Historic Courthouse. Others work at the highway and parks departments, the jail and juvenile detention center. The county has about 325 parking spaces for its employees.

The analysis will project the number of county employees who work downtown based on 10-year increment population estimates up to the year 2040, and will offer alternative options for parking and office space.

FOCUS: Westfield on verge of development boom
At least four major projects in works in growing town
Sat. October 20 - 2007

Cory Schouten - cschouten@ibj.com
IBJ staff

In the top drawer of an old desk in the basement of Westfield Town Hall, there is a small steno-style notebook filled with fraying, hand-written pages.

It’s where town planners kept track of building permits for more than a decade starting in the 1960s. This was a tiny town then, where most people knew all their neighbors and permits were organized by last names.

Westfield is a lot different today.

New developments are appearing all over the growing town, which eventually will encompass all of Hamilton County’s heavily-populated Washington Township. If growth continues at the present pace, the 19-square-mile town with 24,000 residents could balloon to 56 square miles and 110,000 people. More than 11,000 new homes are in the works for a town that now has about 7,000. And the residential rush has caught the attention of commercial developers—who are planning one of the most ambitious concentrations of mega-projects in central Indiana. Roughly 4 million square feet of new space is planned.

Among the latest proposals:

A 430,000-square-foot lifestyle mall dubbed Lantern Commons would be built on 60 acres northeast of U.S. 31 and 161st Street. The mall, proposed by Northbrook, Ill.-based Pine Tree Commercial Realty, would be about 100,000 square feet smaller than Clay Terrace in Carmel. It would take over what is now a heavily wooded parcel.

Plans for Eagletown of Westfield call for 1.7 million square feet of retail, restaurant, office and entertainment attractions north of State Road 32 and east of Eagletown Road. The 998-acre project, by Westfield-based Wilfong-Kreutz Land Development LLC, also would include as many as 3,000 homes, an elementary school and more than 200 acres of open space.

A $300 million mixed-use development called Aurora would cover 315 acres south of State Road 38 and east of U.S. 31. The project, by locally based CR White Aurora LLC, calls for a business park, office space, retail space, and hundreds of condos and apartments.

Oak Ridge, another project by Wilfong-Kreutz, would add another 115,000 square feet of office and retail space to 22 acres west of Oak Ridge Road, on both sides of State Road 32.

The impact of the new projects will be drastic, even if only half the proposals materialize.

The town’s approach is to embrace the growth, processing applications as quickly as possible. The goal: one-month turnaround for commercial permits and 48 hours for residential permits, said Gregory Anderson, Westfield’s community development director. He’s been on the job about two months, fresh off a planning stint in one of Chicago’s fastestgrowing suburbs.

“Our charge is, ‘How do we do it bigger, better, faster?’” Anderson said. “Westfield’s open for business, basically.”

The planning system today looks a lot different than in the 1960s. These days, plans are tracked by computer, stacked in numerous file cabinets, and reviewed by a staff of 10 planners in various capacities. The department is in the process of hiring another planner and may soon hire more.

In March, the town adopted a comprehensive master plan that offers many possibilities, but also plenty of challenges, such as traffic and neighborhood compatibility.

“It’s amazing to do land planning and community development at this scale,” Anderson said.

The growth may be inevitable, but it still has to be managed well, said Michael Kobrowski, vice president of the Westfield-Washington Historical Society.

The society is working with the developers to save historic homes in the area and preserve some of Westfield’s heritage. The town was founded in 1834 by Quakers from North Carolina. Many believe they settled in Westfield to establish a central route for the Underground Railroad.

Kobrowski moved here in 2000.




“Even in the seven years I’ve been here, it’s amazing how things have changed,” he said. “Obviously, when you have to build a new elementary school every year or every other year, the growth is going fast and you have to be careful.”

The pace of development could pick up more steam once U.S. 31 is turned into a limited-access highway, a move that could drastically shorten the travel time between Westfield and Indianapolis.

Then again, growth has been a topic of conversation for years around here.

John C. “Jack” White, the town’s building commissioner, said he heard “rumblings of wild growth” when he started as a Westfield planner in January 1978.

He said it’s hard to tell whether all the new projects will get built, but the town already has changed a lot.

White pulled out the old steno notebook during an interview and pointed out the handwritten entries, without addresses, of the old building permits.

“It was tantamount to getting a library card,” White said. “Then again, there also wasn’t much going on.” •

So Westfield is the new Avon.

So Westfield is the new Avon.

No Westfield is way bigger than Avon. At least the main drag through Westfield (US 31) will get upgraded.

Avon is an example of everything that is wrong with massive, uncontrolled development. I hope that Westfield is wise enough to realize this and plan accordingly

If these projects are any indication of the development pattern being set for Westfield, its terrible. Lantern Commons is a very poor man's version of Clay Terrance (design wise) and Eagletown is no Village of West Clay, not even close. If we are going to sprawl then at least make it 'good' sprawl. While $120 a barrel for oil would hurt the US economy in a major way, it would also significantly reduce sprawl over time and finally make mass transit more important. America over the last 50 years has had the biggest misallocation of wealth (related to the built environoment) in world history.

If these projects are any indication of the development pattern being set for Westfield, its terrible. Lantern Commons is a very poor man's version of Clay Terrance (design wise) and Eagletown is no Village of West Clay, not even close. If we are going to sprawl then at least make it 'good' sprawl. While $120 a barrel for oil would hurt the US economy in a major way, it would also significantly reduce sprawl over time and finally make mass transit more important. America over the last 50 years has had the biggest misallocation of wealth (related to the built environoment) in world history.
Rage, how so? Westfield is putting it's higher density projects on it's major thoroughfares. Why does it have to be compared to Carmel's projects when that is simply not the goal. Having centers all look alike would make the world a boring place. If you have suggestions, please tell.
Latern Commons: http://www.westfield.in.gov/egov/docs/1192567153_740539.pdf

Lantern Commons doesn't create the strong pedestrian 'downtown' environment as Clay Terrace does. The site plan show Lantern Commons as a power center with parking in the front of the project and only a small section (building 5, 6, 7, 8) trying to develop a core area. Remove those buildings and this is a typical strip shopping center with some outlots. Also this project has no mix of use (Clay Terrace has some office mixed in). If you want this project to have density then it should include multiple uses, residential, office and retail. I would hope that Westfield would take the next step over Carmel with its new projects and build true mixed use urban centers for its retail development. When I get a chance I will post a few links show examples of this.

I have a big problem with this Lantern Commons development, which occurs in most suburban planning. Notice the current site set for development. It is a heavily wooded site planned to basically be completely clear-cut. It is pretty sickening to see this. Hamilton County is exactly home to tons of trees these days, and this is just another example why. Developers coming in a wiping out what little of the natural environment we have left. Could they not have picked one of the many cornfields in the area, where our natural habitat was wiped out years and years ago??? The developers, however, are not the only ones to blame. The town of Westfield seems to have no problem in approving these types of development. It's just getting old in seeing how little regard there really is for nature, and it is especially getting old when you replace a forest with a poorly planned, overhyped project, which is not even needed.

While I personally don't want to see a bunch of suburban growth, if they are going to build it, at least make it 'good suburban growth'. This would include a true compact layout, and a mix of uses like, residential, office and retail together (preferably integrated horizontally).

http://www.anaheimgardenwalk.com/siteplans.html
http://www.thegreene.com/

Thank you Rage. I know there is a group of people in Westfield that are studying ways to revitalize the downtown area because it seems to be decentralizing. I wonder if the developer did not want to mimic a downtown feel because of this. In the developer's first showing of this project, he did mention plans for some office space above buildings 5, 6, 7, & 8. No residential though.
OSU, I understand what you are saying. Most of the property is already zoned for commerical which was done in the late 90's.
I was saddened to see the thousands of trees chopped down for the Clay Terrace mall. Plus it took away a on/off ramp option for the US31 upgrade. I wonder if the town could step up and require a tree replacement program?

I am planning on sending the developer a few suggestions. How do you feel about these developments?

http://www.crockerpark.com/
http://www.eastontowncenter.com/
http://www.zonarosa.com/

Hamilton County must think air is overrated.

How exactly do they anticipate getting their CO2 emissions scrubbed?

JAFO, those developments you posted aren't bad, certainly seem better than this Westfield development. However, I have a few problems with them.

One, the architecture in most of these types of developments all begins to look the same. Further, it's not unique. I really appreciate the developments which attempt to push the envelop in terms of design.

Two, the amount of surface parking in these developments. Now, I understand that they do have a garage or two, but there is just much to much surface parking to give it the density they seem to be trying to achieve. Here is one development I have come across that seems to resolve those two issues very well:

http://www.citynorthaz.com/index.php

But, I do think the Venu development will address both of these issues and respond with unique results, with the concept of buried parking with green space on top and good contemporary architecture. But, honestly, I don't care how sweet the development is, it shouldn't be built on a site like the one in Westfield.

Thank you Rage. I know there is a group of people in Westfield that are studying ways to revitalize the downtown area because it seems to be decentralizing. I wonder if the developer did not want to mimic a downtown feel because of this. In the developer's first showing of this project, he did mention plans for some office space above buildings 5, 6, 7, & 8. No residential though.
OSU, I understand what you are saying. Most of the property is already zoned for commerical which was done in the late 90's.
I was saddened to see the thousands of trees chopped down for the Clay Terrace mall. Plus it took away a on/off ramp option for the US31 upgrade. I wonder if the town could step up and require a tree replacement program?

I am planning on sending the developer a few suggestions. How do you feel about these developments?

http://www.crockerpark.com/
http://www.eastontowncenter.com/
http://www.zonarosa.com/

I would really send them the one about the Greene and not eastontowncenter. The Greene is a suburban development near an interstate exit that has a mixed use retail, office and residential all in its layout.

Big housing project delayed until next year
Thu. November 01 - 2007

IBJ Staff

A 2,000-home housing development planned for near Bargersville south of Indianapolis has been delayed until next year, according to the Daily Journal of Franklin.

Developer Mike Duke said five other projects he is working on must be finished before starting the Abbey, which is to have single-family houses, townhouses, condominiums and a golf course.

If the housing market were stronger, the Abbey might be pushed forward, Duke told the newspaper.

Fishers Council voting tonight on Town Center

The Fishers Town Council was scheduled to vote tonight on a $100 million development agreement that would bring new stores, homes, restaurants and parkland to a one-square mile area downtown.

The Town Center would rise on about 10 square blocks north and south of 116th Street between I-69 and the railroad tracks. Roughly 125 homes and businesses, including those along 116th Street, would need to be bought and razed to make room for the project.
The deal would give developer Fairmount Properties, of Ohio, the authority to buy the land, sign up retailers and recruit architects to help construct the project.

The council still needs to rezone the land before Fairmount can build there. Once the zoning is changed, the developer would submit a plan that details what the project would look like.

But Fairmount has already provided a skeleton plan that identifies, as the first phase of development, six square blocks south of 116th.

The development deal calls for 250,000 square feet of office space, 155,000 square feet of retail space, with 100 to 200 apartments above the businesses, and 40 to 50 townhouses, lofts or flats.

The project might include a 100-room hotel, depending on demand.

The meeting of the Fishers Town Council is at 7 p.m. at Fishers Town Halll.

From the IndyStar:




After squeaking past his challenger in Tuesday's election, Greenwood Mayor Charles Henderson set his sights on the next four years and his top priorities.


High on the list is working with the Indiana Department of Transportation on rebuilding Worthsville Road into an east-west corridor, and building a new interchange at I-65 and Worthsville.

Rejuvenating Main Street -- the city's historic shopping district -- and figuring out how to develop a new 72-acre park on Greenwood's Southwestside should keep Henderson busy in his fourth term.

"The priority is to keep the infrastructure up," said Henderson, a Republican,
who beat David Payne by 111 votes Tuesday. "There is going to be plenty to do."

Henderson, 65, said it's time to try creative ways of luring new business to Main Street and Old Towne Greenwood -- a collection of quirky shops and restaurants along Madison Avenue.

"I've got some thoughts on the downtown area," he said. "We've got to get outside the box and do some things."

Turning Worthsville Road into a four-lane thoroughfare to relieve congestion along Main Street and Smith Valley Road has been talked about for years.

Adding an I-65 interchange at Worthsville would give White River Township residents a new access point, and could help congestion on Main.

"I know it can't happen in my term, but we can at least get the state to agree with (the interchange), and start rebuilding (Worthsville Road) into a corridor," Henderson said.

Henderson will try to achieve his goals with three new Republican faces elected to the City Council Tuesday.

Brent Corey and Tim McLaughlin replace outgoing councilors Bill Bless and Jessie Reed.

Monica J. Magna-Rees will take over for Keith Hardin, who did not seek reelection, on the District 5 seat.

Corey, 25, who works for the Greater Greenwood Chamber of Commerce, seeks to manage the city's growth.

"There has to be a partnership with the Johnson County Development Corp. and the city," said Corey, a first-time politician. "We have to make sure we're competitive in a global market."

Magna-Rees, owner of D & M Concrete and a registered nurse at St. Francis, will take a no-frills approach.

"I'm going to take a common-sense approach to serving on the council, and it will shine through on all of my decisions," said Magna-Rees, 44.

She also wants to get the ball rolling on projects that have been delayed, including possibly building a pool at the 72-acre park site and whether to construct a new City Building.

"I want to try to get some things done," said Magna-Rees, also a novice politician. "How many years do we have to talk about a pool? How many years do we have to talk about a City Building? I just want to carry on with the good work of the city, and build on it."

Cory, you are from Anderson so I'd be interested in your take on this. Here is one that surprised me. I don't know a whole lot about him, I'll admit, but Kevin Smith seemed like a basically positive agent of change for a town that was in serious decline.

http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=135&ArticleID=37586

Pro-business mayor ousted in Anderson

Indianapolis Business Journal

Norm Heikens, The IBJ

nheikens@ibj.com

Anderson voters yesterday ousted Mayor Kevin Smith, a Republican who had spent much of his energy trying to revitalize the city's sagging economy.

Replacing Smith is Kris Ockomon, an Anderson police detective who is a Democrat.

Ockomon hammered Smith over the direction he was taking with economic development, and Smith said in an interview today that the message reverberated in a town that had been controlled by Democrats for 16 years prior to his four-year term.

"There was negativity about our economic efforts," Smith said. "It was an anti issue for us."

Ockomon could not be reached for comment.

Ockomon criticized Smith's overseas trips seeking foreign investment, saying investment could be attracted domestically.

In August, the Democrat-controlled city council voted along party lines to pull $144,000 from next year's budget that would have continued funding an economic development contract for an outside consultant, Greg Winkler.

Anderson has enjoyed a run of job announcements in the past couple of years.

The city, once a General Motors stronghold with thousands of workers, has landed a 500-employee service center operated by Affiliated Computer Services Inc. and IBM. Ockomon said the $10 an hour pay was too low; Smith countered that the jobs were available to those without jobs and that the site diversified the local economy.

Anderson also has attracted Canadian companies that make aerospace components and parts for off-road equipment. Yet another big project was a Nestle Corp. food manufacturing plant.

Arenn-

I am kinda on the fence here. Kevin Smith did work overtime to get buisness in Anderson. I am pleased by the recent announcements by Nestle (800 jobs at approx $14/hr) and ACS ($10/hr); however, Anderson needs much more. I actually lauded Smith for going overseas and doing all he could to get Anderson noticed. Anderson doesn't have the most educated workforce, so going after additional auto factories for immediate gains is good (the City is on a short list for a supplier plant to the honda facility). Realizing this, Smith worked very hard with Anderson and Purdue Universities to expand the Flagship Business Incubator and get it more publicity. He also worked on an complete over-haul of the schools and floated bonds to improve the crumbeling system. Further, the City has been spending money to invest in its infrastruture. So, I really feel like progress was being made by Smith, which is something that Anderson hasn't see in a long time.

No way around it, Anderson is a democrat strong-hold (which is not a bad thing) and always will be. Smith used to be a dem but in an effort to get elected, he had to switch. Therefore, I am not surprised that Ockoman won. Ockoman is a friend of my family's and I have spoken with him about wanting to work as a planner for Anderson. Maybe I will now???

Firm to invest $150M in metro area plant
By John Russell
john.russell@indystar.com

"One of the nation's largest pharmaceutical distributors will invest $150 million in a new automated pharmacy in Central Indiana that will employ 1,300 people by 2012, state and company officials announced today.


Officials from Medco Health Solutions of Franklin Lakes, N.J., were at the Statehouse this morning to announce what it calls the nation's "largest, most advanced automated pharmacy."

The company is in the final stages of selecting a site and is expected to choose from among locations in Johnson, Hendricks and Boone counties within the next 30 days.
The state will provide the company with $18 million in performance-based tax credits and $450,000 in training assistance.

Salaries will range from $40,000 to $100,000. Thirty to 40 percent of the workforce will be pharmacists, with the rest comprised of information technology specialists and technicians."
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071112/BUSINESS/711120413

Quality job announcement. The Indy area continues to be on a roll with jobs, many of which are Life Science and high tech.

Cory, congrats on the $1 million Cumberland just picked up for the Buck Creek Trail.

thanks!!! The Town has worked long and hard for that $$

Franklin gets grant for downtown revitalization

Within two years, a five-block stretch of downtown Franklin will have a new look.

Officials learned this morning that Franklin will receive a $500,000 grant through the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs, laying the groundwork for enhancements along the main thoroughfare of the Johnson County city.
Add to that total more than $100,000 in matching grants, and Franklin will have more than $617,000 that will go toward constructing new sidewalks, streetlights and signs along Jefferson Street, between Jackson Street and Home Avenue.
Planning officials won the grant after four tries in three years. It will also provide for drainage improvements and enhanced intersections along Jefferson Street, which is home to the Johnson County Courthouse.
Of the more than $117,000 in matching grants, the city contributed $75,000. The grant stipulated that the city match a minimum of 10 percent of the $500,000.
Now that the grant is secure, next on the agenda is to prepare construction plans and then request a bid for the work, said city planner Krista Linke, who filed the paperwork for the grant. Once construction begins, the city must complete the project within 18 months.
Like many historic downtowns, Franklin has struggled to retain businesses, many of which have sought greener pastures in strip centers near big box retailers on the outskirts of town.
"Now we can start putting in some infrastructure that shows the city of Franklin wants to move forward," Franklin Mayor Brenda Jones-Matthews said. "People are more likely to invest in your area when you show that you are willing to invest in yourself."

This is certainly disappointing.

http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=135&ArticleID=37999

Airport move to Madison County grounded

Noblesville Daily Times

By William Fouts, Noblesville Daily Times

wfouts@noblesvilledailytimes.com

Anderson's next mayor, Kris Ockomon, has driven the final nail into the coffin for a proposal to move Fishers Metro Airport to Madison County. Appearing at an Anderson Airport Value Awareness Meeting at Anderson Municipal Airport Monday evening, he declared the plan dead.

Ockomon could not be reached for comment, but was quoted in Anderson's Herald Bulletin as saying, "Read my lips: The airport in southwest Madison County is a dead issue."

It is the second defeat for Fishers in its attempt to move Metro Airport, which by statute pays no property taxes. Fishers would like to redevelop the airport site - prime property along 96th Street - for commercial uses. An earlier proposal to move the airport to Wayne Township in Hamilton County was shot down by the Noblesville Common Council in May 2006.



Fishers commissioned a feasibility study to examine the possibility of moving Metro to a site in southwestern Madison County. The proposal included closing Anderson Municipal Airport and consolidating its operations with the new Metro Airport. That plan had the support of outgoing Anderson Mayor Kevin Smith.



Madison and Hamilton county residents near the proposed site just east of the Hamilton County line between Pendleton and Lapel feared losses in property values. They formed the opposition group No Fly Zone to fight the airport move.



"It's unfortunate that the mayor-elect doesn't want to have a cooperative relationship, but that's his decision to make," said Fishers Town Council President Scott Faultless.



The town is looking at other options for moving the airport, Faultless added, but said he could not yet say what those options were nor could he say whether those options included sites in Hamilton or Madison counties.



"Our first two preferences have not worked out, and that's unfortunate," Faultless said. "But, there are other choices that are not as preferential but are still very viable that we have considered all along."

I think that the new Anderson mayor is being very short-sighted.

Bad move by the new Anderson mayor. The new, larger airport would have been a boon for Madison County, which needs all the economic jolt it can get.

http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=135&ArticleID=38021

Madison County Commissioners say proposed development breaks too many rules

(Anderson) Herald Bulletin

Justin Schneider, Herald Bulletin

justin.schneider@heraldbulletin.com

Madison County may not be ready for simpler times.

The developers of Simpler Times Village, a proposed development that would combine residential, commercial and agricultural uses, have put their petition for rezoning on hold. The Madison County Board of Commissioners has scheduled a Jan. 8 public hearing for the planned unit development, or PUD, but Josh and Sarah Brown said they will most likely request the matter be continued.

"We haven't withdrawn it; we asked them to put it on hold until we had more support," said Sarah Brown, who co-founded Little Village Makers LLC with her husband. "We don't want to go forward with it just to have a negative vote."

With their project, inspired by medieval European villages, the Browns want to create a community of single- and multi-family homes that incorporate businesses set amid expansive greenspace that allows for hobby farming and even livestock. Their plans incorporate ideas from "new urbanism" and "green building."

The couple secured on option on 127 acres in Adams Township, south of Anderson, and attracted interest from hundreds of potential investors and residents. Simpler Times even won a 7-2 recommendation from the Madison County Planning Commission.

But opposition to the project has also arisen. Neighbors worry that Simpler Times will deplete the water supply in the area, increase traffic, alter school district boundaries, depress property values and increase taxes. Madison County officials have their own concerns.

Commissioner Paul Wilson, D-South District, said the Browns have asked for too many exceptions to county planning guidelines. He said the Browns refused to complete a fiscal impact study, the kind done by other developers in other PUD projects.

"My position on it is that there are some really baseline technical things you have to do," Wilson said. "Sometimes, if you relax too many rules, you can set somebody up for failure."

Wilson said county regulations require that a developer post a bond for infrastructure before the development is platted. Because they rely on investor dollars to move forward, the Browns have asked to bond between platting and ground-breaking, a strategy Wilson won't support.

"I've been very direct with them that I would not support it simply because that's one of the things that guarantees people who buy in and put up money that they have something of substance if the developer goes away," Wilson said. "At least they have the infrastructure accompanying the ground they buy."

Commissioner Pat Dillon, R-Middle District, agrees that Simpler Times would require too many exceptions to too many rules.

"You can't have one set of rules for everybody and a separate set of rules for this one place," Dillon said. "They're not being realistic."

But the Browns say satisfying county officials has been like trying to hit a moving target.

"We're not even sure if we want to go forward in Madison County because of the disorganization in the county government," Sarah Brown said, noting that the sketch plan for Simpler Times was submitted nearly a year ago. "There was a long list of things that were not required that they kept asking for. Every time we went to a meeting they told us to come back with something else they forgot to mention."

Greenfield was intended as the original site for Simpler Times, and the Browns have considered returning. The town council approved the rezoning of 267 acres for the project before a competing developer made a stronger offer. Now, the land is available again and "friend" Brad Dereamer has been elected mayor.

"Our current plan is to consider all the options that are before us over the next three months or so, and when we decide on the plan we think best, we will pursue it and keep you informed," the Browns wrote in an e-mail newsletter. "We don't know what doors are yet to open or close."

They still plan to construct a vintage-style cottage during the Indianapolis Home Show, Jan. 25 to Feb. 3.

Opponents of the project launched a "Stop the Village" campaign, to maintain the farm and forest currently found on the site. During one meeting of the Madison County Planning Commission, a few residents took the time to speak against the development.

"I'm against this development," said Raymond Goodson, who lives on New Columbus Road and is concerned about increased traffic in the area. "I don't think it has to be developed, and it's up to you to stop urban sprawl. If you don't, who will?"

But the Browns have attracted as many supporters as detractors. Kaye Wolverton, president of the Markleville Chamber of Commerce, wrote in a letter to Wilson that she supports the project.

"The $71 million injected into Madison County and, specifically Adams Township, is desperately needed," Wolverton wrote. "The most family-oriented residential and business community that Indiana has ever put their eyes on has chose our community. ... The concept of Simpler Times Village is a welcomed blessing with theory of environmental, nature conserving and family consciousness."

Doug Allison lives on County Road 500 South across from the proposed development site.

"My neighbors are wonderful people, and I am certainly not looking to make enemies," he said. "We all had questions at first, but they have been answered many times over. In my opinion, if we continue to oppose this project, we are letting fear of change, stubbornness, rumor and in some cases, outright prejudice cloud our judgment."

The Browns insist that, given its proximity to Interstate 69, the land will be developed eventually and most likely for a strip mall or high-density housing addition. They implore their opponents to consider what they want the future to look like.

I'm not sure what I think of this. I get the pro argument, but I can't help but notice that they for-profit centers in the 'burbs pay property taxes while the Marion County flagships are non-profits that don't pay any property taxes. Certainly if these hospitals started relocating any core functions out of Marion County, it might be time to take a hard look at their tax status there.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071129/BUSINESS/311290003

New hospital will expand Clarian's reach north
40 bed, $180M facility in Fishers is part of system's strategy to keep moving with the suburbs

By Daniel Lee
daniel.lee@indystar.com

Clarian Health is increasing its presence in the metro area's fast-growing suburbs with plans to build a $180 million hospital in Fishers.

Suburban expansion: The new hospital near Exit 10 off I-69 in Hamilton County is expected to open in 2010. - Artist's rendering provided by Clarian Health

CLARIAN IN FISHERS
• Location: On 95 acres in the Saxony development near Exit 10 off I-69.
• Cost: $180 million.
• Timeline: Groundbreaking set for spring; open for patients in 2010.
• Other details: Forty beds in 250,000-square-foot facility; project also includes 60,000-square-foot medical office building.
• Services: Include primary care, surgery, cardiovascular care, sports medicine, imaging, urgent care, sleep center, occupational medicine and fitness center.
• Financial structure: For-profit; ownership split between Clarian Health and physicians, with Clarian owning majority stake.
• Workforce: About 250.

Source: Clarian Health Partners

MEDICAL CARE IN FISHERS

Clarian Fishers
• What: 40-bed hospital, opening in 2010.
• Where: Saxony Center at Exit 10 off I-69.

St. Vincent Medical Center Northeast
• What: 15-bed, free-standing emergency department, outpatient services, opening in 2008.
• Where: 13914 E. Ind. 238 at the intersection with Olio Road.

Community Health Pavilion
• What: Physicians office, opened in 2005.
• Where: 13121 Olio Road.

The 40-bed, 250,000-square-foot hospital and an accompanying medical office building near Exit 10 off I-69 are expected to open in the spring or summer of 2010, according to Clarian. Groundbreaking is scheduled for spring.
The new and still unnamed hospital will provide those who live in Hamilton County another health-care option close to home.

But it also ramps up the costly and high-stakes competition among the region's major hospital systems, which are spending millions of dollars to build posh medical facilities to lure well-insured patients.

"Exit 10 on I-69 is one of the fast-growing spots in Indiana and one of the fastest-growing spots in the United States," said Daniel Evans, chief executive officer of Clarian Health, which operates Methodist Hospital, Indiana University Hospital and Riley Hospital for Children, all in Downtown Indianapolis.

"The only way we can persevere and be financially robust is to be in the suburbs . . . where there is growth and need," Evans said.

The hospital, which Clarian said could eventually be expanded beyond 40 beds, will offer primary care, cardiovascular care, surgery, occupational medicine, sports medicine, imaging and urgent care. It also will feature a sleep center and a fitness center but will not offer maternity services.

The relentless march to the suburbs by Clarian and Indianapolis' three other major hospital systems -- St. Vincent Health, Community Health Network and St. Francis Hospital and Health Centers -- has some worried about the possibility of an overcapacity of health-care facilities, which can strain a labor force and increase health-care costs.

"It just boosts up the competitiveness required for all of the hospital systems to respond," said Debra Draper, associate director with the Center for Studying Health System Change, a nonprofit research organization in Washington, D.C.

Draper said the four major Indianapolis hospital systems have committed more than $1 billion to building projects in recent years.

Much like other new or expanded hospitals in the region, the Fishers hospital will be loaded with amenities more traditionally found in upscale hotels and high-end office complexes.

Clarian said the hospital campus will feature a nature-like "healing environment," with light, water, gardens, trees and walking and jogging trails.
The hospital will be near Community Health Network's 50,000-square-foot medical building, which opened in 2005, and St. Vincent's 120,000-square-foot, free-standing emergency room and outpatient facility, now under construction.

Other facilities nearby include Community Hospital North in Indianapolis and Riverview Hospital in Noblesville.

Hospitals increasingly are moving to the more affluent suburbs to be closer to people who are covered by commercial health insurers -- companies that tend to reimburse at higher rates than the government-run Medicare or Medicaid programs.

In Indiana, hospitals have great leeway as to where they build. Unlike some states, Indiana does not require a "certificate of need" for a new hospital.
Hamilton County, with an estimated population of 250,979, has four general or specialty hospitals with a total of 489 hospital beds, according to the State Department of Health.

This includes 170 beds at Clarian North at 11700 N. Meridian in Carmel, which opened in December 2005.

Marion County, with an estimated population of 865,504, has 16 hospitals with 4,119 beds.

In 2005, Marion County and the seven bordering counties had 29 hospitals with 5,156 beds, up from 25 hospitals with about 4,800 beds in 2000, according to the State Department of Health.

So much construction has caused competition -- and criticism -- among the hospitals to heat up.

"One hundred and eighty million dollars for a 40-bed facility -- just do the math on that for the cost per bed; that's out of sight," said Bill Corley, CEO of Community Health Network, which has multiple facilities along the I-69 corridor stretching from Indianapolis to Anderson. "I'm not sure that is serving the public good."

Corley said the Fishers area is already well served by Community Health Network and Riverview Hospital. "It's a competitive position they're taking, and all I would say is competition of this kind only drives up the cost of health care."

St. Vincent Health Chief Strategy Officer Kevin Speer said his hospital system is taking a different approach, focusing on outpatient care at its Exit 10 facility.

"After surveying the community, we did not feel that inpatient beds were necessary," Speer said.

Clarian says proceeds from suburban facilities such as Clarian North Medical Center in Carmel and Clarian West Medical Center in Avon, as well as the planned Fishers hospital, will help keep its Downtown hospitals financially healthy.

The new hospital in Fishers, similar to Clarian North and West, will be a for-profit facility, with Clarian sharing ownership and management with the physicians. Clarian will finance the new hospital through debt.

Evans, Clarian's CEO, said Clarian's strategy of an expanding network of hospitals is similar to what other major academic systems, including the Mayo Clinic and the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, are embracing.

Clarian North and Clarian West are on track to start making dividend payments in the next three years to help support the system's Downtown hospitals, he said.

"Clarian is an academic medical center," Evans said. "The profits of any of our activities support our education, research and clinical care responsibilities."
Evans also noted that Clarian, unlike some of its rivals, has kept its largest facilities Downtown or close to it, areas with more underinsured or uninsured patients.

It's only natural to expand to a growing and affluent area like Fishers, Evans said. "This is just evolution. Fishers was a farm community 30 years ago. . . . Fishers is the place any rational business person would go to."

Clarian said the new hospital will have a workforce of about 250 and an estimated economic impact of $42.9 million or more a year.

Scott Faultless, president of the Fishers Town Council, said there is room at Exit 10 for Clarian and its rivals. He said Fishers has grown from a population of about 7,000 in 1990 to about 63,000 today.

"It helps round out the businesses and services that are offered in the town," Faultless said of Clarian's planned hospital. "It helps with the quality of life as a whole in terms of residents needing quality care close to home."

New look proposed for downtown Greenwood

Greenwood's historic retail district could have a new image -- and a different spelling -- if city leaders carry out the vision in the city's revised comprehensive plan.

The Greenwood City Council leafed through the 137-page document Monday on first reading and is expected to take up the issue at its Dec. 17 meeting.
Last updated in 1988, the comprehensive plan is intended to be an official policy statement for land use and a guide for future development for the next 20 years in Greenwood.
Old Towne -- the city's quaint shopping district along Madison Avenue, north of Main Street -- was one of four key categories addressed in the plan, which also includes land use, transportation and urban design.
Confusion on Old Towne's identity -- is it Olde Towne, Old Towne or Olde Town? -- led officials to suggest renaming the district Old Town.
"We felt like bringing some consistency would be important," said Michael Campbell, one of 28 committee members who worked 18 months on drafting the comprehensive plan.
Long-term plans call for the revitalization of the district and creating a major public gathering space, such as a town square, according to the plan, while having Old Town's gateways and focal points visible from major intersections.
According to the plan, Greenwood's population is projected to more than double to 113,000 residents by 2025.
The addition of more than 3,700 acres is projected over the next 20 years, which would translate into 1,600 more dwelling units and more than 1,500 acres of commercial and industrial acreage.
Officials pointed to the area east of I-65 as the development hot spot and priority in Greenwood. Commercial growth spurred by the Cabela's project at County Line Road and I-65 is expected to push farther east, and Franklin Road is expected to be the next major north-south thoroughfare in the city.
The City Council on Monday unanimously approved to move the resolution to adopt the comprehensive plan to second reading.

Mansur to create Speedway redevelopment plan

Mansur Real Estate Services, which developed Lockerbie Marketplace and Fall Creek Place in Indianapolis, has been tapped to help remake Speedway.

The Speedway Redevelopment Commission Monday chose Mansur over two other firms to develop a master plan announced in June. Speedway officials hope to reinvigorate 350 acres south of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway.
“They (Mansur) historically have been involved in several projects that had the same feel as our master plan,” said Scott Harris, redevelopment commission president.

The plan, developed after two years of study by town leaders, consultants, residents and business owners, calls for moving major streets, bringing in more retail and industry and creating a racing-related theme to draw tourists and businesses.

Mansur will work with town leaders to coordinate development and bring investors to the table, Harris said.

December 12, 2007

Plainfield airs out I-70 development wishes (http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20071212/BUSINESS/71212013)

By Bruce C. Smith

Plainfield is considering measures that would prevent tall buildings and acres of parked cars around the new interchange of I-70 west of Indianapolis International Airport.

The height restrictions could prohibit tall buildings, communications towers and even trees more than 50 feet in height up to a mile from the ends of the airport runways.
And the prohibition on car rental agency parking lots along the Ronald Reagan Parkway north from the I-70 interchange is intended to keep development along the new boulevard as attractive as possible, town officials said.
The area is just west of the I-70 entrance to the new $1.1 billion Indianapolis International Airport passenger terminal building scheduled to open next year.

The council voted Monday to remove a few words from a 2006 agreement with the Indianapolis Airport Authority on how airport property along the Ronald Reagan Parkway in Plainfield would be developed. The change means that the airport-owned land — about 100 acres — can still be redeveloped for airport purposes but not include rental car storage lots.
Town Council members said Ronald Reagan Parkway is intended to draw quality economic development rather than parking lots and car agencies like those along High School Road next to the current airport entrance off I-465.

Airport Executive Director Robert Duncan agreed with the zoning restriction and said parking and car rental sites will be located elsewhere or on the airport grounds.

“We have planned to accommodate the car rentals close to the terminal. There will be about 7,200 spaces in the parking garage next to the new terminal, and 1,200 of those are for rental cars,” he said.

Even routine cleaning and service of the vehicles will be done on the airport property in a new “quick turn-around” building to be constructed, he said.

Meanwhile, airport management has asked the Town Council to approve an airspace overlay district — a special zoning area to limit the height of buildings or structures in the flight path of airplanes on landing and takeoff.

Duncan said such rules were adopted in 1962 in Marion County but apparently never enacted in Plainfield or Hendricks County. They follow federal air safety regulations.
Duncan, who has long argued for zoning regulations to limit housing and commercial development close to Indianapolis metro region airports, said the airspace district would prevent unsafe obstructions.

The proposal also could help to protect airport communications systems by limiting other communications towers.

The Plainfield Plan Commission has voted in favor of a proposed ordinance to create the airspace district, and the Town Council gave it the first of three readings this week.

Bad move by the new Anderson mayor. The new, larger airport would have been a boon for Madison County, which needs all the economic jolt it can get.

I don't really think this a call for the mayor elect to make! During my interview for my new J-O-B, it seemed that the Madison County Commissioners are keeping an open mind and it didn't strike me as a "dead deal." I mean, they are the ones that will be the decision makers, not Anderson. I know that the Anderson Municipal Airport used to be privately owned too, but don't know if it is still.

I can't wait to start up there. There is so much potential and right now is the perfect time to get in and starting getting some overlays and plans in place!

During my interview for my new J-O-B, ...

I got distracted and missed my chance to say congratulations so congratulations and good luck!

Thanks Pig! I appreciate that!

Boone Co. home for Medco plant


From the 12/17 IndyStar:


Boone County has won an intense, three-way competition to land Indiana’s biggest economic development project in more than a year: a massive, mail-order pharmacy that will employ 1,300 people.

Medco Health Solutions of Franklin Lakes, N.J., is expected to announce Tuesday that it has chosen the AllPoints industrial project at Anson, west of Zionsville, as the site for its huge distribution center, said Boone County Commissioner Huck Lewis.

The facility will be 318,000 square feet, roughly the size of six football fields, the company has said.

Medco picked the site because of its access to Northside workers, as well as its proximity to I-65, the airport and Downtown Indianapolis, said another person familiar with the deal.

Medco, one of the nation’s largest pharmacy distribution companies, said last month that it would build the facility somewhere in Central Indiana and had narrowed its choices to Boone, Hendricks and Johnson counties. The company has two other large distribution centers, in New Jersey and Nevada. The Boone County site will become the company’s largest.

A Medco spokeswoman declined to comment today. But Lewis confirmed that Medco was coming to Anson, a 1,700-acre mixed-use development in Whitestown, a few miles northwest of the intersection of I-65 and Ind. 334. The Anson development also includes offices, retail and residential areas.

Medco said last month that it would invest $150 million in the new facility, which will employ 1,300 people by 2012, with an average wage of $53,000.

That could make it Boone County’s largest employer, Lewis said. “We’re real glad to see them coming,” he said. “This is going to have a major impact on the county, Anson and our tax base.”

Boone has been relatively slow to develop and has long had a slow-growth reputation with residential and commercial developers and builders.

Boone County Republican Chairman Tom Easterday, when informed of the announcement, said: “That’s fantastic. It clearly fits with the high-tech and high-paying jobs that we want for Boone County.”

Easterday, who is a vice president of Subaru in West Lafayette and played no direct role in luring Medco, said he had been following and waiting for the Medco decision when he learned that Boone County was a finalist.

“All three counties appeared to have some advantages,” he said. “We believe Boone offers a perfect location and the corporate environment that Anson provides. The location is 20 minutes to the airport and to Downtown.”

Some local residents have complained that Anson has not developed as quickly as expected, but Lewis said that Medco should help the development gain momentum.
“It’s just that the people here wanted an appropriate type of growth that creates quality jobs that benefit the county as a whole and can help to raise the standard of living,” he said.

Duke Realty, which is developing the Anson site, declined to confirm the news. The company issued a media advisory shortly before 5 p.m. Monday announcing a news conference Tuesday morning with “representatives from a new company locating to Indiana.”

Also scheduled to attend are Lt. Gov. Becky Skillman and representatives from Duke, Browning Investments and the Boone County Economic Development Corp.
Medco said last month that it was attracted to Central Indiana primarily because of the region’s work force. The state has two pharmacy schools, at Butler and Purdue universities, that could help the company staff the center in the midst of a national pharmacist shortage.

About 120 positions will be pharmacists, with the rest consisting of pharmacy technicians, engineers, information technology specialists and managers.

Last year, Medco dispensed 553 million prescriptions. Its mail-order service rang up sales of $16 billion last year.

http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=135&ArticleID=38468

12/30/2007 12:04:00 PM Email this article • Print this article
20 Questions: The airport proposed for southern Madison County

(Anderson) Herald Bulletin
Air traffic controller Jeremy Perry works in the Anderson Airport tower Friday. The Indianpolis Metropolitan Airport doesn't have a tower. Don Knight / The Herald Bulletin
Compiled by Neal McNamara and Steve Dick, Herald Bulletin

In August, a company called Aerofinity prepared for Anderson's Flagship Enterprise Center a feasibility study for a "replacement" airport in the southern portion of Madison County. The feasibility study, paid for by the town of Fishers, examines the possibility of the development of a new airport to replace the existing Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport in Fishers and Anderson Municipal Airport.

The issue of the proposed airport has raised citizen voices of opposition among those who live in the area that the feasibility study targeted. It also played a role in the Anderson mayoral election, where challenger Kris Ockomon, who strongly opposed the airport, defeated incumbent Kevin Smith, who had spoken in favor of the study.

A subsequent editorial in The Herald Bulletin admonishing Ockomon for calling the airport "a dead issue" triggered an avalanche of letters to the editor. Most spoke strongly in opposition to the proposed airport.

The following series of questions and answers seeks to clarify why the feasibility study was done, what the proposed airport would be like and what its effect on nearby residents, existing airports and economic development would be.

Questions and Answers compiled by Neal McNamara and Steve Dick of The Herald Bulletin

1. Is the proposed airport a dead issue?

For mayor-elect Kris Ockomon, the issue of a proposed airport in southern Madison County is dead for the City of Anderson.

"As far as the city is concerned, we don't want to entertain or support the idea," he said.

But that does not negate the possibility that another community may decide that an airport in southern Madison County is a good idea.

In fact, according to a source close to the proposed airport, more studies on the area will be conducted in 2008, including one assessing economic development possibilities.

Bordering communities, such as Pendleton or Lapel, could annex the land, which is located partly in Green Township and partly in Stony Creek Township. If a town annexed the land, town officials could then decide whether to build the airport.

Pendleton Town Council President Don Henderson says that he's "undecided" on the issue. The town council, he said, cannot alone decide the airport issue.

"We've not taken a position on it at all," said Henderson. "It's really what I consider one of those issues that you can build a case on either side."

Scott Tischler, president of the Madison County Council, said that the council has not been contacted about the airport. Further, he said, he does not know whether the council has any authority over approving an airport.

"If something is done in the unincorporated area of the county, I'm sure the council can be brought into the issue," said Tischler. "I know very little about (the airport) at all."

Ockomon says that there's a lot of "political interest" in creating the airport.

"There's a behind-the-scenes motivation for investment down there," he said. "That's not something that we want to entertain."

2. Who has the power to make the airport happen?

Madison County, the body that governs the area being studied for the proposed airport, would have to develop a master plan for the airport and turn it over to the Federal Aviation Administration to receive federal funding.

Or, if Anderson or another municipality annexed the land, it could follow the same procedure.

The FAA has no involvement yet, said spokesman Tony Molinaro of the FAA's Des Plaines, Ill., office. The FAA hasn't been presented a plan for the airport.

"In this case, we are aware of the discussions going on, but nothing has been formally given to us," he said.

If the FAA were presented with a master plan, said Molinaro, it would look at issues of air space, other area airports and possible environmental issues. In fact, a government body has to approach the FAA only when it is seeking federal money, or when there is the issue of air space or the closing of another airport.

"But for the most part, with big projects like this, they're asking for federal dollars," he said.

The proposed site for the airport is zoned agricultural. But Jerry Bridges, head of the Madison County Council of Governments, said that spot zoning could change the area to an airport, or even residential, zone. Currently, the Madison County Board of Zoning Appeals recommends zoning changes that are ultimately approved by the commissioners.

The airport is just an idea at this point, several sources have said, and it would take many years, plus cooperative local governments, to make it a reality.

At this point, the airport remains just an outline on an aerial photograph of southern Madison County farmland.

3. What has outgoing Mayor Kevin Smith said about the airport?

Anderson Mayor Kevin Smith, whose term in office ends Monday, said during the campaign leading up to the November election that he never supported the airport, but supported studying the feasibility and possible benefits of it.

But he told The Herald Bulletin last May that the city had been in talks about the airport for the previous six months. Smith said at the time that Anderson had to be seen as part of Fishers-Noblesville growth. "An airport (in southwest Madison County) could add to economic development," Smith said in May.

The question that was never answered, said Smith, was whether the airport would actually be an economic benefit for the city and the county.

"It's healthy for a community to examine options that could have some economic benefit," said Smith.

4. Who would fund the proposed airport?

Aerofinity's feasibility study states, "If both airport sponsors (Anderson Municipal and Indianapolis Metro) decide to replace the existing airports with one replacement airport, the primary mechanism for funding the replacement facility is expected to be from the proceeds of disposal of the existing facilities."

Tony Molinaro of the FAA said it might not be that easy because both airports probably at one time or other used federal funds for airport improvements. The feds would have a say in how the airports were disposed of, to protect federal taxpayers.

Molinaro said the FAA would have to conduct a study to see whether a new airport would be worth federal tax money. He did say the counties and municipalities could fund a new airport if they chose to.

5. Who's driving the project?

The town of Fishers. And, up until a few months ago, Anderson Councilman Art Pepelea, R-District 5.

First, Fishers wanted to replace its Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport. Second, it didn't have adequate land. So Fishers officials went looking somewhere else.

According to the feasibility study, conducted by Aerofinity in Indianapolis, limitations at the Fishers facility include no area for expansion, inadequate runway length and inability to keep up with increased air traffic.

Fishers first approached Noblesville, which denied the request because Noblesville already has Mount Comfort airport. After that, Pepelea picked up the idea, he says, for two reasons:

"My late friend, Bill Shearer, he was a pilot and president of the board of aviation commissioners," said Pepelea. "All he talked about was that an airport needed to be put in the southern part of Madison County.

"If it's not an airport, it's going to be something else."

Pepelea pursued the airport not as an Anderson city councilman, he said, but as an interested private citizen. He says he gave up pursuing the airport several months ago. But others, such as the town of Fishers, are still interested in keeping the proposed airport active.

Despite Ockomon's "dead-issue" comment, a source close to the matter says Fishers is still looking at southwest Madison County to move its airport.

Fishers town councilman Scott Faultless, who has been close to the airport issue, could not be reached for comment.

6. What is Anderson's role?

Unless Anderson annexes the land proposed for the airport, the city has no role.

The land studied for the airport lies in Green and Stony Creek townships - unincorporated land. Anderson does not have any control over that land.

For example, when Nestlé announced its intention to build a manufacturing facility near the Flagship Enterprise Center, Anderson annexed land from Pendleton so that the plant would lie in its territory. But the current administration has no interest in annexing land in Green or Stony Creek townships.

Incoming Mayor Kris Ockomon says that land annexation is out of the question. He claims that he's inheriting a "budget crisis" from the outgoing administration. And further, he's adamant about restoring and building up the Anderson Municipal Airport.

If Anderson were to annex the land, then city government would have control over airport decisions.

As it turns out, Indianapolis' change of administrations could have a bearing on the airport.

"It is unlikely that anything is going to move forward, if at all, until the new Indy mayor considers his position vis-a-vis the relocation of Metro Airport in Hamilton County to a new facility," wrote Fishers town attorney Doug Church in an e-mail. "When and if that decision is made, then there may be some movement."

As of now, Church noted, Indianapolis Mayor-elect Greg Ballard has said nothing on the issue.

7. Would the Anderson Board of Aviation Commissioners have any authority if the proposed airport comes to fruition?

Yes, but mostly no.

Again, it's a borders issue. The Board of Aviation Commissioners has authority over only airports that lie within the city. And if the city doesn't annex the land proposed for the airport, then the aviation commissioners have no control.

"The whole idea was to annex the proposed property (in Green and Stony Creek townships) and build an airport," says Ockomon.

If the airport were to be built - a project that could take up to 10 years, according to the feasibility study - the aviation board would have to put its stamp on it because the new airport's air space would encroach on that of the current airport.

The aviation commissioners are appointed by the Anderson mayor. Ockomon says that there is one member of the board whose term is nearly expired. Other board members will be appointed after terms expire, Ockomon said.

8. What does the Anderson Municipal Airport have to offer?

The airport generates about $7 million in business for the Anderson area and sees about 30,000 planes take off and land each year, according to Steve Darlington, the general manager.

The $7 million is based on a study done by the Aviation Association of Indiana. The group calculates that figure by considering airport expenditures, transportation cost savings, based aircraft and other factors.

Darlington said that the $7 million the airport was determined to have generated as of the last AAI report (2005) was down from around $10 million in previous years. Indianapolis Metropolitan generates $24 million, meaning the two airports brought in a combined $31 million.

In contrast, the Muncie airport generates about $66 million in business, and Mount Comfort near Noblesville takes in $24 million.

Darlington says the airport draws people to Anderson - business people scoping out possible new territory, passengers and plane owners who spend money in the city, and airport employees.

And there's more in the future.

The airport just received a $3 million grant to do work on the taxiway, and more money is coming in September, said Darlington. Airport officials are looking to expand its shorter runway, and Darlington says that there's a developer interested in building a hangar complex on the airport's east side.

Since new business has come to the area - like IBM in Daleville, and Nestlé Corp. in Anderson - the airport is getting a lot of business traffic, Darlington said. After General Motors left the city, there was a downturn in traffic, he said, but now it's starting to pick up.

9. What are Anderson Municipal Airport's drawbacks?

Some people say that it's landlocked and expanding it to accommodate greater traffic would be difficult, the same criticisms leveled against Metro in Fishers.

According to Darlington, funding has been down over the past four to five years. Repairs have been delayed.

"Most of the work is on the taxiway and asphalt that we got behind on," said Darlington.

Infrastructure improvements such as runway lighting and maintenance on hangers also have to be done, said Darlington.

10. Could two airports co-exist in Madison County?

Yes. But it might be overkill.

Darlington says it could work, but he doesn't think it's necessary for the county to have two airports. If two did exist, he pointed out, Anderson Municipal would have the advantage of already having a control tower.

Tony Molinaro of the FAA said his agency would have to conduct a study over such issues as air space and determine whether a new airport interfered with others in the area.

"It depends on what planes would fly in and which way runways were pointed," said Molinaro.

11. What function would the new airport serve?

According to a feasibility study done on the proposed airport, the airport would:

- Serve aircraft ranging in size from "single-engine piston aircraft to midsize business jets with transcontinental ability"

- Be the base for 200 or more aircraft

- Be certified as a reliever airport for Indianapolis International

- Serve flight traffic for Madison, Marion and Hancock counties.

The airport would not serve common passenger jet planes or cargo planes.

There would be a 500-by-100 foot primary runway with a taxiway (with potential to expand to 7,000 feet); a 4,000-by-75 foot "crosswind runway" placed 90 degrees from the main runway; a 65-acre passenger terminal with access to Interstate 69; and the potential to build a control tower.

The replacement airport would be "unconstrained," essentially leaving room for future expansion - which the current Anderson and Indianapolis Metropolitan airports don't have, according to the study.

Employment numbers haven't been proposed, but currently Indianapolis Metro in Fishers has one full-time employ and 33 working for Indianapolis Aviation Inc., the fixed-base operator.

12. Who is Aerofinity and what role is it playing?

Aerofinity is an Indianapolis-based airport planning firm that authored a study - commissioned by the Flagship Enterprise Center, paid for by the town of Fishers - of the feasibility of an airport in southern Madison County.

Aerofinity has no role in the creation of an airport except that it was hired to provide information about the potential for an airport in southern Madison County.

Aerofinity looked for a piece of land that would be best suited for an airport. The report it authored contains data about several local airports, the impacts of the proposed airport, what it would look like, and even complaints and questions from the public.

Aerofinity's report refers to the proposed airport as a "replacement" airport, a combination of both Anderson Municipal and Indianapolis Metropolitan airports.

13. Why did Noblesville pass up the opportunity to build the airport?

According to Noblesville city councilman Alan Hinds, Mount Comfort serves Noblesville just fine. It's just 18 minutes from the city's corporate campus, and there's room around it to expand.

"Mount Comfort has all the facilities we need to handle corporate travel," said Hinds.

Also, said Hinds, the area situated near Noblesville for the airport was too large and would've taken up too much land. Airport property is tax-free, so Noblesville would have lost a large chunk of tax revenue.

"As we looked at the proximity of Mount Comfort and the amount of acreage that would have to be allotted, it just wasn't a good decision," said Hinds.

14. What is the 'No Fly Zone?'

It is a group of citizens who'd probably tell you pigs will fly over their houses before any planes do.

Greg Valentine, the Green Township trustee and a member of the No Fly Zone steering committee, says that the group has 300 people on its weekly e-mail list and 300 anti-airport signs in residents' yards. Drive between Pendleton and Lapel, and you'll see the signs everywhere, white with the silhouette of a Learjet with a red line through it.

They have 1,500 signatures on an anti-airport petition, said Valentine.

"My big concern is not only the township," said Valentine. "I live in an 1853 homestead. My dad will be 90 in April, and he's lived in that since he was born."

If the airport were to be built, not only would there be more air traffic over residents' homes, but there would also be a few thousand fewer acres of farmland.

Aerofinity's report identifies 4,000 acres of farmland between Indiana 13 and 38, Old Indiana 132 and County Road 625 West for the site of the proposed airport.

Melvin, Charlsie and Jeff Purdue own a farm along County Road 700 West, almost right in the middle of the area studied for the proposed airport. They have about 140 acres. Melvin and Charlsie have lived there since 1955, and Jeff, their son, takes care of all the farming.

And yes, they have a No Fly Zone sign in front of their house.

"We thought it was a dead dodo," said Melvin Purdue, referring to Kris Ockomon's "dead-issue" remark. "We think it's well and good to promote the Anderson airport."

Jeff says that he's happy as a farmer. He doesn't want to sell his land and make a quick buck. He farms over 3,000 acres, he says, and has built up his business over 30 years.

"All the farmers out here aren't out to cash a big check," said Jeff Purdue. "It really insults us when people like the mayor of Anderson (think) that if they write a big enough check, people will do anything."

Fresh from tending to four large silos located on the property, Jeff Purdue insisted that he would "never sell the farm." He wants to keep it for future generations.

"The food they put on their table comes off of land just like this," he said.

15. How would an airport affect taxes?

According to the feasibility study, 1,500 acres would be taken off the tax rolls, as airports are untaxed entities.

However, the study says that development around the airport could produce some 2,500 acres of taxable retail or industrial entities.

Greg Valentine, the Green Township trustee, said that an airport could be quite taxing on tax collection in the area. About 110 taxable properties would be gone from the area, he said.

"Who wants to buy a house with a 747 (jet) 200 feet above their heads?" Valentine said.

Jeff Purdue, speaking about himself and his neighbors, says he is worried about the "huge chunk" of property taxes that would be taken away from the local government.

"(The airport) would have a negative economic impact," he said.

16. Could infrastructure problems impede plans?

There are high-voltage power lines and underground pipes that run through the proposed area.

A power line tower is located about 256 feet above the ground; according to Aerofinity, that will be "taken into account during the air space analysis, and it may be necessary to relocate the tower to provide the necessary clear air space."

There are also two pipelines that run under the proposed area. One is an 18-foot intrastate natural gas pipe and the other an 8-foot "refined products" pipe. The natural gas pipeline would not be effected by a proposed airport. Aerofinity says "further analysis is needed" on the refined products pipe's location.

17. What positions have local governments taken on the proposed airport?

Don Henderson, president of the Pendleton town council, said that Pendleton legislators are undecided about the project. But Henderson said the airport could be used as a tool to attract industry.

Henderson used the example of Nestlé: The company looked at Pendleton, but decided not to move into that town because there was no railroad spur. In the future, an airport may be the deciding factor in whether a business comes to town.

Madison County Council President Scott Tischler said that nothing has been determined about the proposed airport. In fact, he said, all that he's learned about the airport proposal has come from local media reports.

"I can't speak for the other council members," said Tischler. "We can approve the finances of various things, but we don't have any authority outside the finances."

Lapel council members could not be reached for comment. Green Township Trustee Greg Valentine's position, however, is clear.

"It would not fit well in the community," said Valentine.

18. What's the difference between Indianapolis International and Indianapolis Metropolitan airports?

There's the name. And then there's the purpose.

Indianapolis Metro airport is a "reliever" airport for Indianapolis International. Smaller planes land at Indianapolis Metro so that the international airport can focus on commercial flights.

Indianapolis Metro has one runway used primarily for corporate, charter and pleasure flights. At Indianapolis Metro, one can train to be a pilot or an airplane mechanic.

The Indianapolis Airport Authority purchased Indianapolis Metro in the 1960s so that it could function as a reliever for Indianapolis International.

19. What economic benefits could the proposed airport bring?

According to Art Pepelea, this airport could attract as much business as Indianapolis International.

"Hotels, business, just like Indianapolis International airport - the sky is the limit," said Pepelea. "What couldn't be there?"

Pepelea believes that if an airport is not built in southern Madison County, something else will be, whether it's a shopping mall or several large subdivisions.

According to Aerofinity's projections, the airport would operate $11,000 in the red during the first year, make a modest amount of revenue in years two and three and see expenses outpace operating revenue in years four and five.

20. How many property owners would have to give up their land?

According to a source close to the proposal, there are 11 landowners in the 1,500 acres that would serve as the airport. In the 4,000 acres scenario, which would include airport and development area, there are 40 landowners. According to the source, most of those landowners have agreed to sell. Anderson City Councilman Art Pepelea said that among the property owners who have been approached to sell their land, "none said no."

"You're going to make several cash millionaires here," he said.

According to Jeff Purdue, there are some people in the area who would be willing to sell their farm - but not many.

Valentine says that one family farm has signed an option to sell their land, if need be.

"Over 100 residents would need to go if they took all 4,000 acres (as outlined in the feasibility report)," he said.

Sources are unwilling to discuss whether eminent domain could play a role in the acquisition of property.

"I would hope that if matters proceed that any acquisition of real estate would be at arm's length and that no need for eminent domain would ever arise," said Doug Church of Church, Church, Hittle and Antrim of Noblesville.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080102/LOCAL0505/801020381/1006/LOCAL

January 2, 2008

2008: A Look Ahead
Expect more growth in Plainfield in 2008
$103 million building is example of town's growth

By Bruce C. Smith
bruce.smith@indystar.com

Even without a crystal ball, the prediction for Plainfield in 2008 is more growth and development in schools, parks, streets and businesses.

The pool area at the new Plainfield High School takes shape in this photo taken Thursday. A dedication ceremony for the $103 million school is scheduled for March 1, and the building is expected to be ready for the beginning of classes in August. - Sam Riche / The Star
2008 events, trends

• Construction on the new Plainfield High School is to be completed by March so classes can begin in the fall.
• The $1.1 billion passenger terminal and other improvements to Indianapolis International Airport will spill over into neighboring Plainfield and trigger building along Ronald Reagan Parkway.
• Construction begins that could double the size of Metropolis, the 3-year-old, open-air mall; expect new shops and restaurants.
• Another half-mile section of Ronald Reagan Parkway, built by Plainfield, opens the entry to AllPoints Midwest industrial park.
• The Town Council and Guilford Township Advisory Board plan to form a unified fire territory that merges their public safety resources under the council; one or two new fire stations are proposed.
• Road construction is focused on the southside and along Center Street and nearby areas with new roundabout intersections.
• After a contested May 2007 Republican primary, four of the five Town Council members return for another four-year term, joined by Renea Whicker, who defeated incumbent Daniel Fivecoat.
• Council construction projects include several miles of hiking and biking trails and a major pedestrian bridge downtown. Planned are new features at Splash Island water park and construction on the ambitious Plainfield Youth Sports Complex.
• This likely is the last season of the Optimist Club's popular youth sports programs played at Jim Lovell Field before the site is cleared for a Meijer department store; sports will move to the new complex.
• At least two blocks of Mill Street south from Main Street are targeted for purchase by the Town Council and redevelopment.
-- Bruce C. Smith

A likely centerpiece of community pride will be the opening of the new Plainfield High School.

The campus, which has been under construction for two years along Reeves Road just west of Ind. 267, or Quaker Boulevard, is designed in a Frank Lloyd Wright-inspired prairie style.

Built for 1,600 students, the design is intended to allow 2,000 additional children as the community grows.

Construction crews are working in nearly every corner of the 550,000-square-foot structure to have it done by the dedication ceremony March 1. Furniture, books and educational supplies will fill the school for the start of classes in August.

Early estimates of a $103 million price haven't changed. A bond issue to finance the project was added to the school district's rate before the recent property tax controversy erupted.

"This building is a chance for us to take advantage of the newest technology, such as the presentation stations that will be more available to teachers to use visuals," Superintendent Jerry R. Holifield said recently.

Holifield said opening the school "will allow us to realign our other schools to accommodate student enrollment growth for many years."

The veteran educator and a prominent community leader, who has been superintendent since 1991, has announced his retirement at the end of this school year. The School Board already has begun the search for a new superintendent to be named before the building opens.

More to come in 2008

Construction is to begin on the Plainfield Youth Sports Complex to be developed by the town on land provided by the Indiana Department of Correction on the west end of Main Street.

Costs estimates range into the millions, but that could be reduced through a partnership between the town and labor provided by residents of the neighboring state facilities.

In Town Hall, Renea Whicker will join four incumbents on the Town Council. The council is expected to consider several issues, including creation of a unified fire territory with Guilford Township and a new ethics ordinance.
With the front entrance to Indianapolis International Airport shifting to an I-70 interchange in Plainfield, developers are snapping up land for hotels, restaurants, office complexes and other buildings.

Much of the focus is along a new section of Ronald Reagan Parkway that opened in 2007 between I-70 and Main Street in Plainfield.

The town opened another new section of the four-lane parkway late in December from Main Street to County Road 200 South, and will complete it next spring. That section of the parkway is opening the 950-acre AllPoints Midwest industrial park.

Ultimately, AllPoints Midwest would have millions of square feet of distribution centers and up to 5,000 jobs.

After a couple years of furious road building that disrupted traffic in Plainfield, this year could see fewer detours. Work continues on two new roundabout intersections and other widening in the South Center Street area.

Retail, rec and more

Plainfield has become a regional attraction in both recreation and retailing over the past couple years, and that is expected to continue.

Splash Island water park and recreation center drew a record 115,000 visitors last summer in only its third season. The Town Council has begun planning to add another lazy river ride and more water slides to expand the park.

Metropolis shopping mall, opened in October 2005, is exceeding expectations for its number of visitors, according to developer Premier Properties.
Premier has disclosed plans to begin construction that could double the size of the mall with more places to dine and shop, and for two mid-rise hotel towers.

Premier also received town approval last year for an additional 102,000 square feet of stores and eateries in the Plainfield Commons shopping center across Perry Road from Metropolis.

Industrial real estate experts have said Plainfield has developed a national reputation for its warehouse and distribution parks.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080102/LOCAL0502/801020344/1006/LOCAL

January 2, 2008

2008: A Look Ahead
Officials control development
U.S. 36 overlay will go before Town Council

By Rebecca Neal
rebecca.neal@indystar.com

Avon officials will spend 2008 finding ways to manage the town's growth and development.

The U.S. 36 zoning overlay, designed to create more stringent architectural and aesthetic standards for the highway, could be one of the key steps despite it not being well-received when proposed last summer. In December, the Plan Commission voted 5-2 to send it to the Town Council with a favorable recommendation, and the council likely will address the issue at a meeting this month.

The zoning overlay sets strict standards for new construction, specifying which materials can be used and mandating that paint colors be muted or earth-toned. Among other things, it limits how much parking can be in front of a building.

"If we're going to have nice architecture, it would be nice to see the buildings and not a sea of parking," Plan Director Christine Owens said recently.

The overlay would extend north a quarter-mile from the northern edge of U.S. 36 and south to the northern side of the railroad tracks for the entire length of Avon's town limits.

Avon's schools also are expanding to keep up with the growing population. Work has begun on the new Avon Middle School North at Dan Jones Road and County Road 100 North, set to open in fall 2009. In keeping with the town's burgeoning growth, the school will be built to allow for easy expansion.

"We build them all that way. That's life in Avon," Superintendent Tim Ogle said in the fall after the school's groundbreaking.

Construction also will begin this year on two projects slated for completion in time for the 2010-11 school year -- a new elementary school and a Grade 12 expansion at Avon High School.

Town officials hope to open the new police and courts building in front of Town Hall this year. The controversial building was put on a fast track to get approval by outgoing council members Kathryn Miller and Eva Yackey and former Councilmen Dave Cox and David Jackson.

The town hired Kramer Corp. to examine the structural integrity of the building, and a report questioned whether materials used were sufficient to support the building's weight. Mike Tulli recently completed an inspection, but there is no firm move-in date for the departments.

To help improve the area's traffic flow, Avon and Hendricks County will continue building more roundabouts.

The next roundabout scheduled for completion is a double-lane roundabout at Dan Jones and 100 North, scheduled to start this year. Roundabouts eliminate traffic lights by funneling traffic around a one-way circular intersection.

Avon and Hendricks County also are teaming up to build a roundabout at County Roads 900 East and 200 North. In 2009 or 2010, construction will begin on a roundabout at County Road 200 South and Dan Jones.

The town opened a two-lane roundabout at Dan Jones and County Road 100 South in the fall, replacing a traffic light that backed up cars in all directions during rush hour.

The county opened Hendricks' first roundabout in late August at 100 South and Raceway Road.

In Danville, school leaders will search for a replacement for retiring Superintendent John McKinney. McKinney announced his retirement in October after nearly 14 years as the district's leader.

McKinney was named the 2007 Indiana Superintendent of the Year by the Indiana Association of Public School Superintendents.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080102/LOCAL0503/801020378/1006/LOCAL

January 2, 2008

2008: A Look Ahead
Highway access looms large in future
Interchange on I-74 key part of parkway

By Josh Duke
josh.duke@indystar.com

As Brownsburg leaders look ahead to the coming year, completion of the town's second I-74 interchange may be the most critical development.

Construction on the senior academy at Brownsburg High School (pictured) will linger into 2009, but several other school building projects will be completed this year. - Rendering provided by Brownsburg Schools

The project is a key cog in completing Ronald Reagan Parkway, which county officials plan to some day serve as a major north-south corridor from I-70 in Plainfield to I-74 and perhaps even farther north into Boone County.

The interchange also is expected to fuel an industrial area along Northfield Drive on the town's northeastside that already has begun to boost the community's tax base. Primarily filled with warehouses, the industrial area has drawn several drag racing teams and car parts makers to Brownsburg.
State officials, who are in charge of the project, expect completion by September.

Other major road projects set to be finished in 2008 include the Hornaday Road reconstruction, new extensions of Northfield Drive and improvements to Ind. 267 north of I-74.

Workers nearly finished the $700,000 Hornaday project at the end of last year from Airport to Tilden roads. A late start and bad weather delayed the project, and asphalt plants closed this winter before the road's top layer was paved. Crews will complete the project this spring.

The Northfield Drive extensions are to complete key sections of the road that eventually will serve as an outer loop for the town. Those extensions include from U.S. 136 south to Airport Road on the town's eastside and from Ind. 267 to White Lick Creek on the westside.

The state also will improve Ind. 267 from I-74 to about a quarter mile north of County Road 700 North.

School officials also will have their share of construction this year.
Reagan Elementary will be completed and open this fall, providing the growing district much-needed relief.

A $15 million high school expansion project to add more than 27,000 square feet, mostly on the east side of the building, also should be completed. The expansion will provide a new main entrance and more space for guidance, choir, band and orchestra.

The senior academy and Roark Stadium project will begin this year. While the academy construction will linger into 2009, school officials expect the football improvements to be ready for the start of the high school season in September.

Code concerns and safety issues required improvements to bleachers, restrooms, access, concessions and the track that surrounds the field. School leaders plan to relocate the track to a new site east of the high school in Sportsman Park.

Brownsburg also will follow the lead of many other communities in the area by considering park impact fees in 2008 to fund future recreation needs without charging current property taxpayers.

The Town Council approved paying Lehman & Lehman and Cornerstone Planning & Design $30,000 to help examine park impact fees. The company has since asked for $5,000 more, which town officials refused to pay. The project, which was expected to begin this summer, could be delayed longer if the firm decides not to do the work for the original price.

Impact fees are paid by the builder or developer applying for a building permit for a new home and passed down to the homeowner. Impact fees do not affect taxes of existing homeowners. Money collected from park impact fees must go toward new park improvements or to buy land. Town leaders have hinted the fees could be used for big ticket items, such as a recreation center.

Park impact fees could be crucial for the department as it develops a five-year master plan this year to determine the community's future recreational needs.

Has anyone seen renderings for the Cabela's/water park/hotels that are going up off I-65 in Greenwood?

The RR Parkway needs to have its remaining segments completed ASAP. Brownsburgh and Avon need to get their shit together and link up the existing sections of the road. Hendricks County desperately needs a 4 lane N/S road.

A recent article said it would cost $147 million to complete RR Parkway. That ain't cheap.

The entire four lane route will be open from Kentucky Ave (where it starts out as Ameriplex Parkway) to 200 S. soon. That's a nice chunk of work, though obviously there is more to do.

A recent article said it would cost $147 million to complete RR Parkway. That ain't cheap.

The entire four lane route will be open from Kentucky Ave (where it starts out as Ameriplex Parkway) to 200 S. soon. That's a nice chunk of work, though obviously there is more to do.

I know the cost is high- but it is entirely worth it. The tax revenues from all the new development along that road would pay for the cost in a short time.

More Sprawl Coming to Fishers

From the 1/8/08 Indy Star:

Two developers are proposing strip malls on opposite sides of State Road 238 at 126th Street.


Thorpe Creek Pavilion would be a $3.8 million, 6 1/2 acre project on the east side of 238.

Developer RCR Development 238, of Fishers, said it would serve as a neighborhood commercial center for area residents and generate $60,000 in property taxes.

Thorpe Creek Shoppes, by C&W Developmemt Co., of Indianapolis, is proposing a two-acre, $1.8 million commercial development west of 238. The 12-14,000 square foot complex, which would generate $32,000 a year in property taxes, could include offices, a drycleaners, a bank branch or a restaurant.

"I expect maybe five to six tenants but it's up to the market," said Gary Warstler, owner of C&W. "It could be that one restaurant or one bank comes in and takes up all the square footage and is the only tenant."

The Fishers Town Council on Monday gave preliminary approval to changes in zoning that would permit the commercial development. Warstler said it would take at least another two years to finish the project. He still needs final approval of the zoning change and acceptance of his development plan.
Warstler has built similar complexes at 96th and Olio Roads and 116th Street and Brook School Road.

He said 26th and 238 should be a lucrative location.

"It's near Exit 10, which is a hot corner with all the hospitals there," he said.
Exit 10 of Interstate 69 near 136th Street, is shaping into a major medical corridor.

Clarian Health plans to break ground in the spring on a $180 million, 250,000 square foot, hospital.

The hospital, scheduled to open in 2010, will be near Community Health Network's 50,000-square-foot medical building, which opened in 2005, and St. Vincent's 120,000-square-foot, free-standing emergency room and outpatient facility, now under construction.

I know the cost is high- but it is entirely worth it. The tax revenues from all the new development along that road would pay for the cost in a short time.

Unfortunately, Brownsburg and Avon are fighting over who's going to get all that tax revenue. You'd think that wouldn't affect the area around the rail yard, but you'd also think Avon's off their rocker for trying to claim the Raceway Park area. Plus, if I remember right, the extension is in the county's hands. I'm with you, though, it'd be nice to see this done ASAP. Maybe when the new terminal opens at IND it'll put a little more pressure on them to get it done? They haven't started the section from US136 to 300N yet either and I'm sure about their plans for it.

I drove by the Cabela's site in Greenwood a few days ago. I just looks like they're playing with bulldozers, but hotels are popping up all over the place. All of the roads on the east side of Greenwood are in such poor shape that they are turning to gravel. Does anyone know anything about suburban transportation planning. In an area that is being transformed as much as Greenwood Airport, why are they letting the roads fall apart? I AM NOT exaggerating. Arlington and Graham roads are two of the worst kept cow-paths I've ever seen. They are narrow and beyond just having "potholes". In fact, most roads that are paid for by the city of Greenwood or Johnson County are in this shape, and at the same time our high schools are getting multi-million dollar football stadiums with astro-turf. What gives? Do Carmel, Fishers, Avon, Plainfield, Noblesville, Brownsburg, Greenfield and all the other prominent suburbs have the same problem with priorities. Not only do the suburbs to the south have very few main arteries, but they are all in poor shape. I just want to know if this is normal or if I need to flip off the Johnson County Transportaion Dept. Trucks every time I pass them?:bash:

I believe that there is a plan to reconstruct and widen Graham Rd. (Arlington Ave) from County Line Rd south to Greenwood Rd., similar to what was done with Emerson Ave.

I agree with you generally about roads in Johnson County. They are way behind the curve.

pig, as I understand it, the county wants to TIF the area around IRP, and Brownsburg doesn't want them to because it sees that area as key to funding for its school district. Brownsburg can't stop the county, however, unless it undertakes an annexation proceeding prior to the county doing it. However, if the county TIF's the area against Brownsburg's will, it could really poison the well for intergovernmental cooperation in the area.

pig, as I understand it, the county wants to TIF the area around IRP, and Brownsburg doesn't want them to because it sees that area as key to funding for its school district. Brownsburg can't stop the county, however, unless it undertakes an annexation proceeding prior to the county doing it. However, if the county TIF's the area against Brownsburg's will, it could really poison the well for intergovernmental cooperation in the area.

Oh yes, the TIF. I'd forgotten the details, but I do remember Avon making some noise about it, too, but I'm worthless and have forgotten the details.

I find this interesting, particular as Madison County has rubber stamped a number of the lowest end type generic starter home subdivisions that would never pass muster in most Indy area jurisdictions these days.

http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080111/NEWS02/801110460/1025/NEWS02

Medieval-style village on hold
Anderson-area proposal pulled

Associated Press

ANDERSON, Ind. -- A couple withdrew a rezoning proposal for a planned development modeled on medieval European villages after the project met resistance from officials and potential neighbors.

But Josh and Sarah Brown of Fortville hope to return with a new plan for their Simpler Times Village.



Simpler Times would create a community of single- and multiple-family dwellings and businesses amid green space that would allow for hobby farming and livestock on a 125-acre site in Madison County.

The development's Web site says the project, based on European towns dating from before 1800, would allow residents to run small shops or raise chickens in their back yards.

The county Plan Commission had recommended the rezoning, but it faced almost certain denial by the Madison County commissioners, two of whom had said they opposed the project. A no vote would have kept the Browns from filing another rezoning petition for a year.

Instead, the couple on Tuesday withdrew their petition after commissioners first denied a request for an extension to Feb. 19 to allow time for a financial restructuring.

"Our new plan is to work with a group of about 10 investors, each of whom will own a share of the company," Sarah Brown said. "We would love to be able to build in Madison County. We've met a lot of wonderful people here."

The withdrawal was applauded by members of the audience who had planned to speak against the project during a public hearing.

"They don't have the experience, and they don't have the money to make it a success," said Ward Townsend, a local builder. "I have seen similar projects fail, and I don't want to see that happen here."

Critics had expressed concerns over the village development's impact on water supply, traffic flow, property values and taxes.

Arenn-

Since this is my jurisdiction now, I will go on record as saying that this is not dead. There are a number of good things about the project; however, there are some that leave you scratching your head too. The concept is great, they just have a lot of things to iron-out. They have NEVER developed something before and got this idea after a trip to Europe.

As for the "crap" that Madison County approves...only ONE subdivision, Summerlake, is a vinyl village. It is an 800-unit development right off of I-69. People must remember that county planning commissions are much different than City or Towns. The development is so much different and you must remember that Counties are always losing taxable land to annexation, so you get a lot more "yes" in County's verse in incorporated areas.

McCordsville in a State of Transition- Big Growth Coming to Small Town


From the Indy Star:

An old farm house rots away at the main intersection in town, council members meet in a trailer and dining choices come down to Joe's Grille and the Wagon Wheel Eatery.

Not the description you would expect for one of the Indianapolis area's growth hot spots: the crossroads town of McCordsville, long seen as too rural and distant for developers to bother with.
Not so now.

Suburban sprawl not only is lapping up against McCordsville's farmland, but turning it into tract subdivisions, three newly opened retail centers, a coming Meijer department store, and one of the largest mixed-use developments ever planned in Hancock County.

"I wonder on a daily basis what's going on around us," said Jenny Adams, waitress-turned-owner of the Wagon Wheel. "We try to keep up (on new projects) with construction workers who come in here."

A dot on the map in northwest Hancock County, McCordsville enjoys one uncontestable advantage for new development: Its 1,400 homes and smattering of businesses cluster around the key intersection of Ind. 67 and Mount Comfort Road. The two roads are emerging as the main east-west and north-south routes for traffic generated by development spreading through far-northeastern Marion County and around Geist Reservoir in Hamilton County.

"This could be considered the primary intersection in this whole area," said Kurt Mathewson, a senior vice president at Coldwell Banker Commercial in Indianapolis, who is working for a California real estate investment company that is developing the 90-acre McCord Square project in McCordsville.

The 538,000-square-foot retail and office development will rise at the key intersection. That farm ground over three to five years will be turned into a regional shopping center, with two or three big-box retailers, numerous smaller stores and about three office buildings.

In the zoning approval stage now, the $40 million project by Tower Investments of Woodland, Calif., "will help the town redefine itself and help create an image for it in the future," said Mathewson.

The town council is weighing an offer to swap the 21/2 acres that contain the town hall (a converted veterinary clinic with a converted apartment above and a trailer out back) for a site within McCord Square where a new town hall could be built.

"That's the hope," said Town Manager Tonya Galbraith, who is looking forward to gaining an actual office to replace the former apartment living room where she now works.

The project would bring walking trails and three manmade lakes to the town, which has no parks.
McCord Square, with planned access to Ind. 67 and Mount Comfort Road, "has been fairly well hashed out. There really haven't been any sticking points so far," she said.

McCord Square comes on the heels of three recently built retail centers with room for about eight stores or offices each. They are still largely vacant, a sign of a slowed-down retail leasing market.

One of the three, Gateway Crossing, was built on the outskirts of a 120-acre residential development that includes 160 home sites and a 160-unit apartment complex. About 125 homes have been built so far in the 6-year-old community, said Stephen Shea, president of Paramount Realty Group, project developer.

"There's a lot of really extremely positive things happening," he said.
Shea said McCordsville is well- positioned along Mount Comfort Road (also called County Road 600 West or Olio Road to the north), which more people are using as a short-cut to travel between I-69 in Hamilton County and I-70 in Hancock County.

Galbraith, the town manager, said the growth has forced the town to plan a major upgrade to its sewage plant. Growth could pose a problem for future restaurant owners seeking liquor licenses.

The town's quota of state-issued liquor licenses has been met, based on the 2000 census that put the population at 1,134 people, she said. But in the seven years since the census, the population has swelled to more than 3,000, judging by all the newly built homes.

That may make it hard to lure new restaurants until the next census is done in 2010 and the state can get justification to issue a few more liquor permits, she said.

The benefits of this type of growth are that it may provide the revenue necessary to upgrade infrastructure in the area.

Mt. Comfort Road needs to be widened to four lanes from Geist Reservoir to I-70 but Hancock County has no money for the project.

And I agree that the roads in suburban Indy are pitiful. Carmel, Fishers, Plainfield, and Noblesville, however, should be commended for making investments in their roads and parks.

Now only if Brownsburgh, Avon, and Greenwood would get their shit together.

Southport and County Line Roads need to be widened, the RR Parkway needs to be completed, and Arlington Road needs to be widened south of County Line Road.

And then the state needs to get its shit together and widen I-74 and I-65, US 136, US 421, US 36, and US 52.

The benefits of this type of growth are that it may provide the revenue necessary to upgrade infrastructure in the area.

Mt. Comfort Road needs to be widened to four lanes from Geist Reservoir to I-70 but Hancock County has no money for the project.

And I agree that the roads in suburban Indy are pitiful. Carmel, Fishers, Plainfield, and Noblesville, however, should be commended for making investments in their roads and parks.

Now only if Brownsburgh, Avon, and Greenwood would get their shit together.

Southport and County Line Roads need to be widened, the RR Parkway needs to be completed, and Arlington Road needs to be widened south of County Line Road.

And then the state needs to get its shit together and widen I-74 and I-65, US 136, US 421, US 36, and US 52.

Wow! That will all cost about 15 billion dollars!:| Where is all that money going to come from?

Now it's time to act, mayor says
Downtown revitalization is made priority
By Jason Thomas
jason.thomas@indystar.com

Using his annual State of the City speech as a vehicle, Mayor Charles Henderson this week launched an ambitious plan to begin the revitalization of downtown Greenwood.

The intersection of Madison Avenue and Main Street is where Mayor Charles Henderson proposes beginning the revitalization of downtown Greenwood. - Steve Healey / The Star

In a year's time, Henderson envisions the southeast quadrant of Madison Avenue and Main Street being transformed from a sleepy park into a vibrant retail and recreation space, including paddleboats floating on a waterway and walkways connecting new businesses.

"I decided this is going to be the year to do it, to put our money where our mouth is," Henderson said Tuesday at Valle Vista Golf & Conference Center on Main Street, "or I don't want to hear about it anymore."

The push to breathe new life into the historic district comes on the heels of Fortune 100 company Medco last month choosing Boone County over Greenwood to build its flagship distribution center.

"One of the reasons Medco got away was quality of life issues," Henderson said, citing a tired-looking Main Street.

"The bottom line is our package was as good economically as anyone else's, but if they looked around, they saw some things they didn't like, and they didn't see it getting done."

Hoping to start a chain reaction within the district, Henderson chose the area south and east of Main and Madison to begin the renaissance. Old City Park north of Greenwood Public Library would be the focal point.

The vision is powerful: The creek that runs south along Machledt Drive could be dammed to create a waterway that could be used for recreation.
A walkway beginning at the library would run diagonally north and west and cross over the waterway, between new retail buildings that would replace the current city maintenance buildings and end near Main and Madison.
Circular and semicircular spokes would branch off from the walkway and around the waterway. Other attractions could include a bell tower, brick towers, enhanced architecture, landscaped medians and widening Main and Madison by 15 feet.

Key to Henderson's plan is city participation and luring private investment.
"The city's going to put something into this," he said, "and if we're willing to do that, then we can truly put life back into the heart of this city."
Greenwood-based Ohio Properties and D&S Investments, based in Indianapolis, have expressed interest, said Henderson, and he plans to add more.

Costs have not been calculated, and Henderson has not ruled out using taxpayers' money for the project.

An 11-member Old Towne Redevelopment Committee is charged with creating a plan and presenting it to the city within three to six months.
Gail Richards, former director of the Greater Greenwood Chamber of Commerce, is heading the committee.

"Actually, when (Henderson) asked me, I said, 'You want me to do what? Do you think I'm nuts?' " Richards said.

"He started laughing. Then I settled down and thought this would be a great opportunity to really try and get something done."
For Henderson, it's no longer a vision.

"A vision is just that, it's a vision," he said. "Action is what makes this wonderful. Next year I hope I can stand here and tell you it's not just a vision any longer. It's a reality."

New Albany firm to develop Cabela’s site

Thu. January 17 - 2008
http://www.ibj.com/html/detail_page.asp?content=09959
IBJ Staff

Property near the Cabela’s outdoor store under construction in Greenwood will be developed with a cinema, grocery store, restaurants and other shops.

Lopp Properties, a developer based in the southern Indiana city of New Albany, signed a contract recently for rights to build on the 100-acre property, according to the Daily Journal of Franklin. The site is at the southeast quadrant of Interstate 65 and County Line Road.

When the 125,000-square-foot Cabela’s opens later this year, it will be accompanied by a Splash Universe water park on nearly six acres nearby.

Excluding a catch pond for rainwater runoff, Lopp will have 60 acres available to develop.

Other developers are planning about 600 hotel rooms at the intersection.

http://www.wthr.com/global/video/popup/pop_player.asp?ClipID1=2100656&h1=Old%20Town%20Greenwood%20plans&vt1=v&at1=News&d1=168033&LaunchPageAdTag=News&activePane=info&playerVersion=1&hostPageUrl=http%3A//www.wthr.com/Global/category.asp%3FC%3D23903%26nav%3Dmenu188_2&rnd=37019438

Wow! That will all cost about 15 billion dollars!:| Where is all that money going to come from?

The Feds. They have the money, but they are pissing it away in the military and on tax cuts.

Much of County Line Road has already been widened. And tax cuts are needed in our current economy. Most people I know are pretty stapped for cash, why should the government take any more of that? If our government prioritized a little better, taxes wouldn't be as high as they are now.

Mt. Comfort Road needs to be widened to four lanes from Geist Reservoir to I-70 but Hancock County has no money for the project.


By the way, I believe Hamilton County is in line to receive federal aid to finish the widening of Olio Rd. south from the Geist bridge to 96th St. This is currently planned for 2010 I believe.

There are also ongoing discussions between Hamilton County and Noblesville about extending Olio north over I-69. The thoroughfare plan calls for making Olio four lanes north to SR 38.

McCordsville was studying Mt. Comfort Rd. through their town last year, but I don't know what ever became of that.

Much of County Line Road has already been widened. And tax cuts are needed in our current economy. Most people I know are pretty stapped for cash, why should the government take any more of that? If our government prioritized a little better, taxes wouldn't be as high as they are now.

Tax cuts for middle class Americans are needed, not the trillion in tax relief for the wealthy that a GOP controlled Congress has approved twice under Bush.

And tax cuts aren't going to address the fundamental problems with cost of living increases and the lack of decent paying jobs in this country.

small business owners didn't have to pay such high taxes, they could grow their business and offer their employees better pay and benefits. This "tax the rich" thought really needs to stop!!!

small business owners didn't have to pay such high taxes, they could grow their business and offer their employees better pay and benefits. This "tax the rich" thought really needs to stop!!!

Small business owners are traditionally thought of as middle or upper-middle class. The Rich are that 20% that control over half the country's wealth.

Greenwood mulls I-65 interchange
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080121/LOCAL040206/801210409

By Jason Thomas
jason.thomas@indystar.com

The Greenwood City Council tonight will hold preliminary discussions on funding two road-widening projects that officials hope will pave the way for a new interchange on I-65.

Tops on the agenda is a resolution to issue bonds to pay for the reconstruction of Worthsville and Graham roads on Greenwood's east side.

Last week, the city's redevelopment commission authorized borrowing up to $31 million to fund the projects, according to Stephen Watson, the attorney for the redevelopment commission.

The bonds would be repaid through Greenwood's eastside economic development area tax increment financing district, which uses property tax revenue from new development to pay for infrastructure costs.

The project calls for widening the two roads to five lanes. Worthsville Road would be widened from U.S. 31 east to County Road 250 East; Graham Road would be widened between Worthsville Road and Allen Road, Watson said.

Widening the roads could pave the way for an interchange at I-65 and Worthsville Road -- a goal of Greenwood Mayor Charles Henderson -- and set the stage for a long-discussed east-west thoroughfare through Johnson County.

The I-65 corridor in Greenwood is poised for explosive growth: Outdoors retail giant Cabela's is building a 125,000-square-foot facility at the southwest corner of Graham Road and County Line Road, just east of I-65, which has spurred plans for at least five hotels between County Line Road and Main Street.

Work could start this winter on another project that would widen Graham Road to five lanes, including a turn lane, between County Line Road and Main Street.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080124/LOCAL/801240529

IndyStar.com Metro & State
4:49 PM January 24, 2008

I-69 overpass on Olio advances

By Chris Sikich
Chris.Sikich@TheNoblesvilleLedger.com

NOBLESVILLE -- An area of I-69 booming with residential and commercial development drew closer today to having an interstate overpass.

Olio Road now dead-ends in Noblesville ahead of I-69, as shown today. The area on the border with Fishers being transformed by residential and commercial development. - Steve Sanchez / The Star

The proposed Olio Road bridge over I-69 would link Noblesville and Fishers.
The Hamilton County Council's finance committee agreed today to recommend to the full council Feb. 6 to fund $13.1 million toward the bridge, said council president Rick McKinney, who's on the finance committee with Brad Beaver and Meredith Carter.

Noblesville would be asked to pay $1.5 million, but the county would be in charge of building the bridge.

The County Council had balked when asked to fund the project Jan. 9, McKinney said, because the cost wasn't nailed down.

Commissioners' president Christine Altman said they have already given the green light on the Olio bridge. The Noblesville Board of Public Works and Safety and the Noblesville City Council will each consider the interlocal agreement Tuesday.

Both Mayor John Ditslear and City Council President Dale Smelling say they're in favor of the project.

Fishers is securing right of way, said town development director Wes Bucher and working on intersection improvements at Olio and Greenfield Avenue.

Altman said the four-lane bridge still needs to be designed, but it would have no access to the interstate. She said the county could bid the project in 2009. "Hopefully, we would have it installed shortly thereafter," Altman said.

She said county officials have long envisioned Olio as the county's easternmost north/south corridor, turning to Mount Comfort Road in Hancock County and stretching to I-70.

The deal could help close economic development projects in Noblesville, although neither county nor city officials would give specifics.

"We understand there are some major commitments for development in Noblesville's jurisdiction dependent on the bridge," Altman said.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080201/BUSINESS/802010492/-1/RSS

February 1, 2008

Star Report

An Omaha, Neb., newspaper is reporting that outdoor retail giant Cabela's is putting on hold its expansion plans for several stores including one in Greenwood.

The report by the Omaha World-Herald quoted Dennis Highby, president and chief executive of the Sidney, Neb.-based outdoor outfitter, as blaming a "challenging consumer environment" for the change in plans.

In a press release, Highby said the company would delay its retail store expansion and give priority to improving the profitability of its existing operations.

In addition to Greenwood, the delays will affect stores in Billings, Mont.; Wheat Ridge, Colo.; and East Rutherford, N.J.

The stores that will open this year will be in Rapid City, S.D., and Scarborough, Maine.

Greenwood officials were not immediately available for comment.

Bad day for suburban Indy development. First Gramercy, now Cabela's. Given this market, these announcements were bound to happen, but two in one day is pretty rough.

Ouch that deals quite a blow to Greenwood. There is a lot of proposed development around the Cabela's. I wonder if we will start hearing official word of those postponments or cancellations as well.

you know...too bad about Cabela's, but Greenwood reaped what the sowed. They should have NEVER given economic development money to Cabela's in the first place. It's a retail chain that would locate in the area regardless...(obviously prior to their bad 4th quarter) that will only provide retail jobs. Further, ancillary development will be more service industry jobs. I do not agree with tax breaks/incentives for this type of development. It's not like Microsoft is going to open an office in Greenwood because they have a Cabela's and a new Hampton Inn out on the interstate.

It said on the news that Cabela's will only be delayed "a few years". If they cancel completely, then Charles Henderson needs to contact Bass Pro Shop and tell them Cabela's has let the indy metro down. I guess they didn't know their area. Do you know how many hunters and fishermen live in the Indy metro - Johnson county in particular. Anyone ever been to camp atterbury or Johnson County park. I live near both and I know for sure THERE IS A HUGE OUTDOORS MARKET ON THE SOUTHSIDE. Plus, the aquariums and hunting simulators would make for another nice attraction in the indy area. I hope they will EVENTUALLY build.

Not surprising.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080205/LOCAL040206/802050449

Hey Indy guys, just curious on any recent developments going on... i'll try and check back later.

Hey Indy guys, just curious on any recent developments going on... i'll try and check back later.

Check this thread here: (http://www.skyscrapercity.com/showthread.php?t=555034) for a compilation of developments in Indianapolis. These developments are mostly in the city center however and not in the suburbs. I'm not sure if you asking about suburban development or development in Indianapolis.

By Bruce C. Smith
Indianapolis Star

PLAINFIELD, Ind. — Yeager Construction, a family-owed company known for innovative designs, bright colors and trendy architecture, is planning an office building along Plainfield’s Main Street.

Plainfield Plan Commission this week approved plans for a three-story building of about 31,700 square feet at 2676 E. Main St. The narrow site of 2.3 acres is between an auto parts retail store and a Ford truck sales lot on the north side of Main.
Plan Director Joe James said the development will fit well along Plainfield’s Main Street, a gateway corridor in town, and is particularly compatible in the contemporary styles of other new buildings, like the nearby Metropolis mall.
The Yeagers — a family of four brothers in the construction and development business based in Noblesville — have put up several similar office buildings in Fishers, Greenwood and Noblesville.

The eye-popping structures feature bright yellow panels and large triangular walls on the exterior.
The Plainfield building will be slightly more subdued. It will still have contemporary styling. But the colors and building materials are tempered down to earth tones, aluminum and brick.

“It won’t be bright yellow, but we’re still trying to keep it a very upbeat design, very interesting on the outside. What it may lack in color, it will make up for in quality and richness,” said President Scott J. Yeager.

Inside the front door, visitors will walk into a three-story atrium flooded with sun through skylights and windows. Trees and shrubs appear to be planted through the floor.
The building is designed to offer professional office space for small- and medium sized operations. Such one- and two-person businesses can save money by sharing some amenities, much like a business incubator.

“There will be some shared features for the tenants, like a receptionist at the front desk to great guests in a professional manner. There will be three conference rooms, and a copier center,” he said.

Past the reception desk, visitors to a conference room will pass a 12 foot-by-4 foot aquarium.

“Our goal is to make people happy to go to work and to pick up their spirits with the surroundings. Most people spend more time in their office than they do at home, so we really try to liven the environment,” Scott Yeager said.

When the Yeagers finish their latest project in Plainfield this year, Yeager said they’ll probably move next to Carmel to find a building site for next year.

“Pretty soon, we’ll have a ring of buildings around the metro area,” he said.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080208/BUSINESS/80208015

New 55-acre commercial development planned in Boone County (http://www.indianaeconomicdigest.net/main.asp?SectionID=31&SubSectionID=74&ArticleID=39272)

Lebanon Reporter
By Ben Woodson, for The Lebanon Reporter

A new 55-acre commercial development is planned for the southeast corner of the U.S. 421 and CR 300 South intersection.

The Area Plan Commission will discuss the project April 9. The meeting is only to get comments and feedback from the commission, and no decision will be made at that meeting, Boone County Planner Rachel Whittington said. There will not be time for public comment unless the commission decides to open up the meeting.

The next step is to get approval to rezone the site from residential. Because the exact use of site is not finalized, Whittington said she did not know what the new zoning would be. It is still early in the process and the design is only conceptual at this point.

Michael Andreoli, the attorney for the two developers Bob Harris and Paul Kite, said it should be a mixture of office, medical and retail, and they hope to have a grocery store on the site.

The development could still be a long way off, Andreoli said. It might need to wait until the economy improves and more houses are built in the area.

They chose to apply for the rezoning now so the people who move into that area will know what to expect, Andreoli said.

"Now is the time to plan for what commercial goes in the (421) corridor, rather than let all the rooftops build up and then have people say I didn't know there would be commercial there," he said.

Also since Boone County is redoing its master plan, it is an appropriate time to rezone the area, Andreoli added.

Another commercial development called Union Crossing recently applied to rezone a 12-acre parcel from agriculture to commercial on the northeast part of the same intersection. It was met with resistance from the surrounding residents, and the APC denied the rezone request.

Andreoli said he doesn't expect as much resistance from the residents on the new proposed development. The parcel is much bigger than 12-acres and that allows more room for setbacks and shielding.

"It is not to say that you are going to get everybody on board, but we will have a lot better opportunity to create a development with the least amount of negative impact. ... It has the potential if done correctly to set the bar extremely high for development in the future in limited areas along 421," Andreoli said.

He said everyone knows 421 will not turn into a total commercial corridor like Keystone Avenue, but there are areas where commercial can work.

The president of the Brittany Chase Homeowners Association, Al Wopshall, said from what he knows about the development, he would not oppose it.

"I think properly done commercial would be not too objectionable to me," he said.

He said the key is setting up adequate buffer zones so it doesn't negatively affect the current residents. He opposed the Union Crossing development because it did not have these buffers, and the larger acreage of the new proposal allows more room for buffers.

Even if he would not oppose well-done commercial at that intersection he would prefer to have residential along the whole 421 corridor from SR 32 to just above SR 334, he said.

"We don't really need anything here," he said about commercial development, "but somebody thinks we do."

He added that he realizes that intersection will eventually have commercial.

"We don't want it, but if we don't have a choice let's do those things right," he said.


Article © @ 2008 The Lebanon Reporter.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080215/LOCAL/802150454/1006

February 15, 2008

County hopes to swap parkway for road

Danville -- Hendricks County officials believe they are getting a serious look from the Indiana Department of Transportation on a plan that could complete the Ronald Reagan Parkway.

With the project stalled due to funding shortfalls, county leaders believe the best solution could come from swapping the parkway to the state in exchange for Ind. 267.

If that occurs, Brownsburg residents could benefit. The trade could allow the county to scrap a financing proposal that would have cut into the town's future tax base.

A meeting Friday led to the first substantial movement toward a possible swap. Two state legislators -- Sen. Connie Lawson, R-Danville, and Rep. Greg Steuerwald, R-Avon -- and representatives from the county and towns discussed the possibility with INDOT Commissioner Karl Browning and other state transportation leaders.

Browning requested a follow-up meeting Feb. 29. The meeting will allow all sides to lay out their expectations and needs, said County Commissioner Eric Wathen. Boone County officials also were invited because the state has interest only if the road extends to I-65 in Boone County, Wathen said.

About half the parkway is done, but an estimated $147 million is needed to complete it. In October, county officials proposed a tax increment financing district as a potential solution but agreed to postpone action after Brownsburg requested a 90-day delay to come up with other options.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080215/LOCAL/802150454/1006

February 15, 2008

County hopes to swap parkway for road

Danville -- Hendricks County officials believe they are getting a serious look from the Indiana Department of Transportation on a plan that could complete the Ronald Reagan Parkway.

With the project stalled due to funding shortfalls, county leaders believe the best solution could come from swapping the parkway to the state in exchange for Ind. 267.

If that occurs, Brownsburg residents could benefit. The trade could allow the county to scrap a financing proposal that would have cut into the town's future tax base.

A meeting Friday led to the first substantial movement toward a possible swap. Two state legislators -- Sen. Connie Lawson, R-Danville, and Rep. Greg Steuerwald, R-Avon -- and representatives from the county and towns discussed the possibility with INDOT Commissioner Karl Browning and other state transportation leaders.

Browning requested a follow-up meeting Feb. 29. The meeting will allow all sides to lay out their expectations and needs, said County Commissioner Eric Wathen. Boone County officials also were invited because the state has interest only if the road extends to I-65 in Boone County, Wathen said.

About half the parkway is done, but an estimated $147 million is needed to complete it. In October, county officials proposed a tax increment financing district as a potential solution but agreed to postpone action after Brownsburg requested a 90-day delay to come up with other options.

The $700 million for a new terrain I-69 could adequately fund the RR parkway construction and a bunch of other more necessary projects.

I still believe that SR 267 needs serious improvements. It needs to be widened in certain areas and be resurfaced and have sidewalks and better curbs in the more dense areas. After all, this is the only route which connects DT Plainfield, DT Avon, and DT Brownsburgh.

There is a $10 million project slated to slightly widen and curb/gutter/sidewalk SR 267 for about a mile through downtown Brownsburg. Probably the rest of it would work as a three lane road. I don't see this happening though, except for spot improvements.

There is a $10 million project slated to slightly widen and curb/gutter/sidewalk SR 267 for about a mile through downtown Brownsburg. Probably the rest of it would work as a three lane road. I don't see this happening though, except for spot improvements.

Three lanes would be fine for me. I drove 267 from I-74 to I-70 last summer and was appalled that it was still just a country road in poor condition. This is the primary N/S arterial in west metro Indy for Christsakes!!

Like its more important to the state to spend money on building a road to connect Brownsburg, Avon and Plainfield than it is to build an interstate between Indianapolis, Bloomington and Evansville (and several other important southern Indiana cities). I-69 will keep Indianapolis in the prime cross-roads corridor for North - south truck transportation providing the best trade route for travel from Mexico into the heart of the US and on to the major cities of Canada. This I-69 link will provide the 8th interstate direction that can be traveled from Indianapolis. It is an extreme asset that many other cities would like to be able to say they possess - but Indy will be the only city in the US that can make the claim. Indy's primary crossroads status is one of the major reasons for many of the recent new job announcements in Central Indiana. Being a transportation and distribution hub is a definite plus. I hope 267 gets done - but its not a "more necessary project" to the state than funding I-69.

Major Fishers development to start in ‘08


By John Tuohy
john.tuohy@indystar.com
February 20, 2008


The developers of the ambitious RiverPlace Project plan to break ground this year on a five-story office building, an eight-story hotel and two restaurants.
Fishers Town President Scott Faultless was expected to reveal in his State of the Town address today that Indianapolis-based developer Centre Properties was ready begin the $50 million first phase of the project and cited it as an example of the town’s commercial vibrancy.

“If you look around Indiana a lot of communities are struggling to provide essential services,” Faultless said in an interview before the speech. “We are fortunate and blessed to have a prosperous and growing commercial base.”

Faultless will make his presentation before an estimated 350 people at the FORUM Conference Center.

RiverPlace is a planned $350 million-500 million development of town homes, condominiums and businesses on 85 acres on 96th Street, east of Allisonville Road. Centre Properties has joined with Carmel Commercial Real Estate to form Centre Leasing to draw business to the project. The company plans to break ground on the office building in June. Fishers Plan Director Wes Bucher said he expected the developer to file its plans with the town in March.

Faultless said such large-scale projects are helping keep town revenues high and the residential property tax rate low. The town expects $700 million in commercial and residential investment this year.

He said that corporate development will be especially valued – in all communities -- after the Indiana General Assembly passes a package of property tax relief bills that are expected to reduce tax collections for local governments.

“We are in very good fiscal health both in the short term and long term but we have to worry about what happens in the legislature this year,” Faultless said.

Fishers expects to lose about $110,000 in tax collections a year because of caps on property tax hikes. But Faultless said the town will fare better than its neighbors; Noblesville expects to lose $1.27 million and Carmel could lose $197,000 a year.

Still, Faultless said, the town’s property tax rate is among the lowest in the state and its per capita income is among the highest.

In his speech, which will be accompanied by charts and graphs on an overhead projector, Faultless highlighted the town’s biggest projects – the $192 million medical corridor at Exit 10 of Interstate 69; $129 million Fishers Marketplace at Ind. 37 and 131st Street; and the $100 million Town Center.

Hendricks County proposes highway swap
By Bruce C. Smith
bruce.smith@indystar.com
February 20, 2008


Hendricks County officials are negotiating with the state on a proposed swap of Ind. 267 and the yet-unfinished Ronald Reagan Parkway.
Under the proposal, the state might pay upward of $147 million to finish the road in Hendricks and Boone counties and rename it as Ind. 267. In exchange, local governments would take over the old Ind. 267.

The 15-mile north-south road is proposed as both an economic development and transportation boon connecting I-70 on the southside of Plainfield and I-74 east of Brownsburg. A future leg would continue several miles northward into Boone County to I-65 near Whitestown, effectively linking three interstates and forming a beltway outside the west leg of I-465.

Hendricks County Engineer John Ayers estimated the state’s costs would be about $45million to finish Reagan Parkway in Hendricks County between I-70 and County Road 600 North.

Estimated costs to extend the road into Boone County would be an additional $100 million.

Hendricks and regional road planners have talked about the need for the parkway for nearly two decades. With limited local money and some federal grants, only about half of the route has been built.

Hendricks County has invested about $11 million. Plainfield has at least $3million into the parkway and more in related roadways. Avon and Brownsburg have put few dollars into construction.

A meeting last month among officials from the three towns, the county and Indiana Department of Transportation administrators revived an old idea to infuse money.

INDOT would take over construction and name the road the new Ind.267. The towns and county would assume maintenance and repair for their sections of existing Ind. 267, which now is little more than a local street.

They are scheduled to meet again at the end of this month to see what other road projects and factors should be weighed into a swap.

^^The price tag for completing and widening RR Parkway between CR 200S and I-74 is less than $50 million. INDOT can afford to complete this project.

RR Parkway doesn't need to extend north of 56th Street- the road is only needed from SR 67 to 56th Street, for that is where the development will occur.

Like its more important to the state to spend money on building a road to connect Brownsburg, Avon and Plainfield than it is to build an interstate between Indianapolis, Bloomington and Evansville (and several other important southern Indiana cities). I-69 will keep Indianapolis in the prime cross-roads corridor for North - south truck transportation providing the best trade route for travel from Mexico into the heart of the US and on to the major cities of Canada. This I-69 link will provide the 8th interstate direction that can be traveled from Indianapolis. It is an extreme asset that many other cities would like to be able to say they possess - but Indy will be the only city in the US that can make the claim. Indy's primary crossroads status is one of the major reasons for many of the recent new job announcements in Central Indiana. Being a transportation and distribution hub is a definite plus. I hope 267 gets done - but its not a "more necessary project" to the state than funding I-69.

Indy and Bloomington are already connected by a 4 lane, divided highway which only needs spot improvements. A full freeway is overkill.

Indy has plenty of interstates, most of which need to be widened. That $700 million sure could fix a lot of more important, EXISTING roads.

The RR Parkway will be an economic boon for Hendricks County and will pay for itself very quickly- unlike a new terrain I-69.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080220/LOCAL/802200558

1:09 PM February 20, 2008

Downtown Westfield plan in the works
By Susan H. Miller
Star correspondent

A design to revitalize and redevelop Downtown Westfield will be ready before the year is over, a Westfield citizens advisory group says.

And the best part is the project won't cost Westfield taxpayers a penny, according to Jim Anderson, co-chair of the Grand Junction Task Group.

"A very interesting and unique thing about our approach is that we want it to be an investor-driven solution. If you interpret investor as developer, that's just fine," Anderson said.

"Some think that to get things done, this should be done through government investment, but we don't have the money," he continued. "We want a very laissez-faire approach. Some public funding will be required, such as the grants for the trails, but if we do our job correctly, investors and developers will want to invest in our city."

A primary component of the design will be the Grand Junction Plaza, the place where the Monon Trail meets the Midland Trace Trail in Downtown Westfield.

"The plaza would be the site of cultural events such as concerts, a staging area for walk-a-thons, bike-a-thons, and maybe a farmers market," Anderson said. "It will be a centerpiece, and it probably won't happen at the physical junction of the trails -- though that's not been definitely decided yet -- but it makes more sense for it to be downtown instead of where it actually is, which is west of (U.S.) 31."

Westfield Mayor Andy Cook said he supports the task group's efforts to develop the downtown without government funding.

"They keep me informed, and things tend to move more quickly without government involvement," Cook said. "It's more efficient. It's a great group, it's doing good work, not at government expense. It all starts with design."

The project isn't entirely without government involvement, since two of the group's members are Westfield City Council members, Ken Kingshill, who co-chairs the task group, and Melody Sweat. Kingshill is also council president.

Sweat said conceptual plans call for a Monon and Midland Trail loop. The loop would carry pedestrians over U.S. 31 and into downtown Westfield at 161st, 169th and 181st streets.

The group is working with the Indiana Department of Transportation on exploring possible options when the department upgrades U.S. 31 into a limited access highway

Another primary component of the task group's vision is building recreational trails along the waterways that run through downtown Westfield -- on the order of a riverwalk.

"Westfield has amenities that have never been capitalized on and that is our waterways," Sweat said. "One is a legal drain -- the Anna Kendall Drain -- so it doesn't sound very exciting, but it's really a lovely creek that runs through town, the other one is Cool Creek."

Sweat said both waterways create a substantial flood plain that can't be developed, but they could have trails alongside them that link into the town's other trails.

"Our primary objective is to develop the downtown into the heart and soul of Westfield," Anderson said. "As we grow, we want to preserve the historic nature of downtown, whether or not we want to theme the downtown hasn't yet been decided, but we want to sustain it and build the economy downtown. It's important to preserve both the natural features and buildings."

Nicole Kobrowski, spokesperson for the Westfield Washington Township Historical Society, said the society supports the project.

"Anything that helps beautify the city, helps the businesses and community, and brings more people into the downtown, we're all for it, especially if it ties into the trails behind the museum."

Does the River Place project in Fishers still include those 20 story towers?

Does the River Place project in Fishers still include those 20 story towers?

I think so. The 1st phase doesn't include them.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080223/LOCAL1804/802230387/1006/LOCAL

February 23, 2008

Focus shifts to second Speedway redevelopment area
Move to launch 2nd redevelopment area in Speedway begins

By Josh Duke
josh.duke@indystar.com

With work on one sizeable redevelopment project under way, Speedway officials next week plan to set in motion a second plan to remake the town.

Anjam Barkat (left) and Pat O'Brien look at calculations during survey work on Polco Street south of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway (seen in background). - Gary Moore / The Star
Meetings next week
Two public meetings will be held next week to get feedback on Speedway's redevelopment projects.

6 p.m. Tuesday in Town Hall: Public can comment on tax increment proposal, and plan to expand redevelopment south of Indianapolis Motor Speedway.

6:30 p.m. Thursday in the Speedway High School cafeteria: The public will discuss plans for the high school and Crawfordsville Road redevelopment area.

Redevelopment officials will hold a public hearing Tuesday to create a tax increment financing district to pay for improvements along Crawfordsville and High School roads. A similar taxing district in the first redevelopment area south of Indianapolis Motor Speedway has generated $1.3 million.

The commission will follow that meeting with another public hearing Thursday to talk about the second redevelopment area, which runs along both sides of High School Road from just north of 30th Street and along Crawfordsville Road from I-465 to Lynhurst Drive.

"It is an area in need of redevelopment," said Scott Harris, who recently was hired as executive director of the town's redevelopment initiatives.

"As a gateway to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway and Downtown Indianapolis, it is equal to or more important to the citizens of Speedway than our first redevelopment area," he added. "Shopping has changed. Crime has focused in this area. It will be a much more difficult challenge."

Commission members plan to form a steering committee and by the end of March have a series of public focus groups to come up with three concept plans. Feedback will be sought on those plans.

A master plan for the area is expected by the end of the summer.

"We want to get the residents' views of what they would like to see in that area," said Vince Noblet, president of the redevelopment commission.

Redevelopment officials say designs for relocating 16th Street as part of the first redevelopment project south of Indianapolis Motor Speedway are about 40 percent complete. Engineering should begin in a few weeks, and construction of the new section, which will follow the old interurban rail line, could begin by the end of the year.

"We've had a lot of interest already from investors," Harris said. "I'm personally happy with the progress. We will likely have announcements this year about new business and industry committing to the area."

The redevelopment commission also recently mailed a 12-page booklet to all residents to justify the closing of Georgetown Road at 25th Street.

"We just wanted to try to answer all the criticisms we've heard," Harris said.
Town leaders point to Department of Homeland Security concerns that the street is too close to the Indianapolis Motor Speedway grandstands. Town leaders also believe the street's closing will present an opportunity to transform the street into a linear park. The street won't be closed to vehicles until late 2009 or early 2010, Harris said.

The decision to close Georgetown Road generated the most controversy in a plan that incorporates major street improvements, including the addition of two roundabouts, a facelift to Main Street, adding more retail and industry, and developing a racing-related theme to draw tourists to the 350 acres south of the track.

Harris said Indianapolis Motor Speedway officials are negotiating to purchase the properties along that stretch of Georgetown Road. Town leaders hope to have many of the improvements completed for the centennial race in 2011.

Amazon.com center could bring 1,200 jobs to Boone Co.
By Robert Annis
robert.annis@indystar.com
March 11, 2008

Boone County is the front-runner for a nearly $30-million Amazon.com distribution center, according to local officials.

The online retail giant is considering other locations, but is leaning toward AllPoints at Anson in Whitestown, said Boone County Economic Development Corporation Executive Director Kristie McKillip. She made the announcement at the Whitestown Town Council meeting tonight.

Anson partners Duke Realty and Browning Investments would invest $6.8 million in upgrades to the already constructed facility, adding office space and more parking, but are asking for that amount back in tax abatements during the next decade.

Likewise, Amazon.com is requesting a 10-year, $28.5-million tax abatement. The council hold a special meeting at 6:30 p.m. March 28 to hear the applications.

The state's Economic Development Corporation is also creating an incentive package to help lure the Internet retailer to Boone County.

The distribution center would employ more than 1,200 employees at an average wage of $12.50 an hour. Up to 30 management positions also will be available with an average wage of $37 an hour.

McKillip said the local income tax revenue gained from the facility's employees could reach $333,000 annually.

Amazon.com would join Medco Health Solutions and ASI Limited as the largest tenants to commit to the sprawling development along I-65 in Boone County.

Amazon.com had net sales of $14.8 billion in 2007.

The Anson development could turn into a real economic engine for Boone County. Hopefully, the added tax revenue will pay for much needed county road upgrades (cough 146th Street cough).