The South Village planned unit development has been voted down. But it’s unlikely to be the last word on development plans for 110 acres of land between the brick Main Street and Old 106th Street.
On Aug. 5, the Zionsville Town Council voted no on the PUD at the request of Mayor John Stehr, who first introduced the town-led plan in March. The proposal aimed to set standards for development within the South Village boundaries to include building heights, retail and residential uses and parking.
The plan was given a favorable recommendation in July by the plan commission, but Stehr later asked it to be removed from consideration, citing a lack of consensus on the PUD.
“In recent weeks, since the plan commission’s action, it became apparent that the South Village PUD did not have sufficient support,” said Jeff Jacob, attorney and partner with Hackman Hulett who was representing the town on the PUD proposal. “Given the importance of this area to the town and the potential development in the area, the feeling was that even a close vote of this body is really a no vote.”
The council unanimously voted to reject the proposal. The PUD cannot come back to the council for approval as written for one year, but there are exceptions. The plan commission can authorize a waiver on the one-year waiting period should the PUD undergo substantial changes.
“The conditions that led to this discussion haven’t changed,” Stehr said. “Zionsville is under tremendous pressure from landowners who want to develop their property. It’s hard to balance property rights with the desires of the community. And that’s true everywhere, not just in Zionsville. It doesn’t make Zionsville unique. However, Zionsville is unique because of the intense public interest that becomes part of any discussion like this. I think it leads to a lot of emotion, and unfortunately at times, I think it’s led to a lot of misinformation.”
Stehr said the goal remains to address the zoning that is already in place and make it more restrictive, adding layers of regulation through the town council and an architecture review committee to consider any projects, especially those that include multifamily housing.
“I still think that a master plan for the entire area seems like a goal that we should all strive to achieve,” he said. “We all want responsible development. It’s now apparent to me that the right way to get there is not going to be a straight line.”
While Stehr asked for the council to vote down the PUD, residents still spoke up, both for and against development in the South Village.
“I am fortunate enough in my business to have a front row seat to meet and speak with our visitors every day,” said Erica Carpenter, owner of FiveThirty Home in the Village. “People come to Zionsville because it is unique and quaint. It is historic and special. It’s what, as the mayor and other leaders have stated, other municipalities’ envy. If we cease to lean into what makes Zionsville stand out, we risk losing our status as a destination and losing those visitors-turned-customers.”
Commenters said they want to see rules that would make new buildings replicate or complement the existing Village; townhomes and condos versus apartment living; and further discussions on how residential growth would affect schools.
Zionsville resident Wes Merkle said he thinks the PUD is a quality plan so far and would like to see planning move ahead.
“We’ve always appreciated the vibrancy of the Village itself,” Merkle said. “It’s such a wonderful place and I think part of keeping it a wonderful place and maybe enhancing it in the future is to make sure that our businesses have the foot traffic, they have the folks patronizing our businesses. The reality is, to do that, we need residents. Zionsville is competing with our neighboring communities who are growing much faster. That doesn’t have to be us, but part of the mix and keeping it vibrant is keeping folks coming to the Village. I don’t think it’s bad to see diverse housing stock.”
Councilors said they were pleased to see Stehr ask for the plan to be voted down, rather than try to push it through while there were still questions. Elected officials did recognize that growth in Zionsville — retail and residential — is unavoidable.
“These (development) pressures won’t stop,” Councilor Craig Melton said. “I believe firmly in the next 10 years we’re going to see the largest growth that Zionsville has ever seen because of things like this.”
