By a 6-1 vote during its Nov. 20 meeting, the Zionsville Plan Commission approved
the Sentry Development/ Holliday Farms petition. Sentry Development originally presented the petition Sept. 18 and reintroduced it Oct. 16.
It will now go to the Zionsville Town Council for final approval.
The decisions rezones approximately 23 acres from the SU-7 District to a planned unit development to provide for a three-story, 155-unit senior living facility. The 3795 S. U.S. 421 acreage in Zionsville will be incorporated into the Holliday Farms PUD.
According to Sentry Development, the senior housing project alone is estimated to be $25 million in new investment, generating $513,000 annually in new property taxes with no additional burden on schools and community resources.
Matt Price presented on behalf of Sentry Development and said they’ve made several revisions to the plan since previous meetings, including extending the buffer area along the entire edge of the property on the east side in the site plan.
Sentry Development also stated commitments to tree preservation and planting of evergreens to provide extra screening, dimming exterior building lights by 50 percent at 10 p.m. seven days a week and noise reduction.
The petitioner removed several items from the original land use table, including:
• Larger detached dwellings
• The model home
• The library
• The post office
• A public service/ governmental facility
• A day care
• A gas station
• A food stand
• All transportation and communication uses
• No musical performances after 8 p.m.
• No pickleball; pickleball courts replaced with a greenhouse
• No more than two drive-thru restaurants
Plan Commission member Chris Lake said he had concerns about restaurants with drive-thrus because they do not seem compatible with the section of U.S. 421. He asked if they could be omitted from the use plan, to which the petitioners agreed. Walk-up service will still be available for restaurants in the area.
Price also said the petitioners would remove the kindergarten/preschool from the use table because they removed the daycare.
Zionsville resident Brad Russell, whose property neighbors the PUD, said there have been issues with surrounding development lighting in the past. Although he said he is glad to see dimmers implemented, he asked if the petitioners could make more revisions to avoid disruption.
Steve Genco, who lives at 4006 Sugar Pine Lane., and Russell asked about pathways and extending the required path for the petition to the Appaloosa Crossing and Hidden Pine neighborhoods.
Lake said the plan commission received a letter from the Zionsville Pathways Committee, which supports getting the connection for the pathway.
Plan Commission member Larry Jones said there was no need to create more commercial out lots on Michigan Road and was not in favor of the project.
“My concern with some of the proposed uses is that we are lowering the standards that we have set for other locations for similar projects,” Jones said. “Eventually, those other locations will ask for the same relief we are granting here.”
