Consultant previews draft 'Uniquely Zionsville' comprehensive plan; public presentation set for Nov. 6

Adam Peepers, a consultant with HWC Engineering, presented the Town of Zionsville’s draft comprehensive plan to the Plan Commission on Oct. 20, saying the document is ready for public review and that the consultant team will hold a public presentation on Nov. 6.

The draft plan is organized into 12 chapters including background, topic-specific chapters on land use and housing, focus-area plans and an implementation chapter with recommended short- and long-term actions. Peepers said the plan emphasizes protecting Zionsville’s community character while allowing targeted opportunities to diversify the local tax base and direct employment growth around the airport and along State Road 32.

Peepers told the commission the project’s outreach has included three initial public workshops, a “Big Ideas” open house and two “community strategies” open houses earlier this year. He said feedback prompted several changes: removing one goal that sought to actively attract new housing, revising the future land use map around the airport and in west Zionsville, and tailoring recommended commercial locations into defined activity centers rather than broad strip-commercial designations.

The draft maps and the thoroughfare plan were highlighted as core plan tools. Peepers said the land-use map translates the plan’s balanced development goals into geography, and the thoroughfare plan creates a mechanism to secure right-of-way dedication through development. He flagged utility-service boundaries — including HSE Utilities territory near the airport and Whitestown’s service area — as key external constraints that the plan cannot itself resolve but should elevate for interjurisdictional negotiations.

Peepers also described the plan’s implementation chapter, which recommends periodic reporting to the commission and town council on development trends, rezoning requests and triggers for future plan updates. He said the draft will be posted to the Uniquely Zionsville website and that the project team will add an online contact form and a short questionnaire for collecting public comments.

Town planning staff said the commission will be asked whether to advertise the matter for a formal public hearing in November; several commissioners signaled they were willing to schedule the hearing if the team is ready. Peepers and staff said the steering committee will meet again the week after the commission meeting to vet outstanding comments before the public presentation.

Public and commission members asked technical questions about the future land use map — including mixed-color areas near the airport and the proposed uses along the Perry Township/Whitestown corridor — and Peepers walked through how the map responds to potential airport runway protection zones and Whitestown Parkway’s role as a divider between employment and residential areas.

The consultant said the draft document will be posted online “tomorrow” and that the website contact form and a short survey link will be included in the PDF of the plan to collect public input.

The commission and staff agreed to advertise the matter for a public hearing in November; the exact hearing date will be set after the steering committee meeting and when the team confirms logistics for the Nov. 6 public presentation.

The commission moved on to other agenda items after the presentation.