Zionsville Plan Commission gives 200 West developers one more chance

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CIZ COM 0124 200 WestWEB
Designs for the 200 West project submitted to the Town Jan. 11 show a three-story mixed-use building with underground parking. (Submitted rendering)

By Ann Marie Shambaugh

The developers of 200 West will have one more chance to bring their project before the Zionsville Plan Commission, as the ZPC reluctantly granted a third continuance at its Jan. 17 meeting.

If plans aren’t ready for the commission to review at its March meeting, both sides agreed the project would be dropped.

“The first round that we were presented was a little bit, I think a polite term would be broad in its request, hence the reason it didn’t really move forward,” commissioner Larry Jones said. “There’s the understanding that if we’re going to grant a third continuance, that’s the end.”

The project as originally presented in early 2016 would have included 15 single-family homes, 75 multi-family homes and commercial uses on 4.32 acres. After receiving negative feedback from the public, the developers modified the project, but the changes weren’t enough to keep the ZPC and Zionsville Town Council from voting against a zoning change for it in 2016.

The latest version of the project, which is near Sycamore and Main Streets, does not include residential and thus does not require a zoning change. Plans filed with the Town show a single three-story mixed-use building with underground parking. Designed by Zionsville-based David Rausch Studio, its façade is designed to reflect and complement existing structures nearby.

“It’s quite frankly an extremely viable project,” said Tim Ochs, an attorney representing developers. “I can assure you, and hopefully as demonstrated by what has been filed, this is in fact moving forward.”

The latest round of delays began when developers planned to present a new proposal for 200 West to the ZPC at its October 2016 meeting but asked for a continuance as a parcel of land was at risk of being removed from the project.

In November 2016, Ochs told commissioners that the parcel was removed, which necessitated “a significant design change.” He requested another continuance and was granted 60 days.

At the Jan. 17 meeting, Ochs said the project needed additional redesign work after the Town changed parking requirements in the Village area in December and that floodplain problems had become “a bigger issue than the developer originally anticipated.”

“The design team has finally been able to convince the developer if this is going to move forward, we need to have all our ducks in a row and do this the right way,” Ochs said.

Ochs originally suggested moving the discussion to the ZPC’s February meeting but agreed to 60 more days after commissioners and staff members expressed skepticism that the project would be ready in time.

“Given the amount of work that staff has not seen, it’s difficult for staff to fathom that we can get the project in, reviewed, commented on and fully corrected back to you in that 30-day window,” Zionsville Director of Planning Wayne DeLong said.

The commission’s next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Feb. 21. The 200 West project is expected to be discussed again at the ZPC meeting at 7 p.m. March 20.


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