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Commissioners review State Road 109 corridor study; county briefs Ready One projects and annexation concerns
Summary
County staff presented a draft State Road 109 corridor improvement study, stressing it is a guidance document that would not change zoning. Staff also updated commissioners on Ready One-funded projects including a Boar's Head sewer lift station upgrade and the YMCA childcare expansion, and addressed public concern about annexation.
County staff presented a draft State Road 109 corridor improvement plan to the Henry County Commissioners on April 9 and urged the board to treat it as a study and guidance document rather than a regulatory change. The presentation also included an update on Ready One-funded economic development projects and a warning that some state-level tax changes being discussed could affect local financing tools.
The draft plan, prepared in partnership with the County Redevelopment Commission and the town of Knightstown, is intended as a starting point for future elected bodies and planning commissions and would not by itself change zoning or county requirements. County staff emphasized that the plan includes language about voluntary annexation but said annexation is difficult under state code and that "annexation is not imminent." The March 10 public meeting on the study drew 48 attendees, some of whom expressed concern about annexation.
County staff also described a Ready One-funded infrastructure project for the Boar's Head industrial area. The lift station upgrade north of the state maintenance facility on State Road 3 carries $975,000 in Ready One funds and a match from the County Redevelopment Commission. Construction was expected to begin within about 30 to 45 days, with completion planned by the end of the year; the Board of Works had taken bids under advisement and the county’s engineer would review apparent low bidders before a recommendation.
Officials said the Ready One program requires all projects funded under the contract to be finished by the end of 2026 and that certain contract milestones must be met by September 2025 or the funding could be withdrawn by the IEDC/region. The county also reported ongoing business attraction activity: staff said the county received about 14 requests for information since January and several site visits in recent weeks.
County staff said the corridor plan would include zoning recommendations only as guidance; any zoning change would require separate public hearings and votes by the planning commission and by the county. Commissioners asked that staff return with a final draft after the steering committee completes one more meeting and after they have time to review the 46-page draft.
The board did not take formal action on the plan during the meeting; staff said they would bring the document back for formal input at a future meeting.
