Boone County drainage board approves multiple mass-grading projects, two legal-drain petitions and data-center drainage outlets

Boone County Drainage Board members voted on Oct. 20 to approve multiple development drainage plans, two legal-drain petitions and an outlet to a regulated drain for a proposed data-center campus, with several approvals contingent on final reviews by the Boone County Surveyor's Office or Christopher Burke Engineering.

Why it matters: The approvals clear key stormwater and drainage requirements for large subdivisions and developments across Boone County, setting construction and maintenance responsibilities and financial assessments tied to the new Beckman Park Southeast legal drain.

Votes at a glance

- Accept findings and sign order for ORLA LLC / Project Domino legal drain vacations: Approved (voice vote). Board noted that recent tile work for a separate parcel (Van Hine) has been completed.

- Tomlinson legal drain vacation (Padgett/Paget property, Parcel 0200133000): Approved. The surveyor’s office recommended vacating a portion of the Tomlinson regulated drain because the site’s drainage will be rerouted to new storm sewer infrastructure; petitioner New City Development (owner: Whitestown 550 Padgett LLC / New City Development) will have the regulated-drain easements removed from the parcel.

- Paget Commons (mass grading, ~40-acre site): Approved subject to final review by Christopher Burke Engineering and the Boone County Surveyor’s Office. Plans include two detention basins (southwest discharging to roadside ditch along Perryworth Road, northeast discharging to an Edmonds Creek detention basin) and some underground detention.

- 47 Commons Phase 1 (mass grading and temporary parking lot): Approved subject to final review. The site drains to Spring Creek and includes a detention basin and a temporary finished parking lot.

- Beckman Park Southeast Section 1 (50 lots on ~22.5 acres) and Beckman Park Southeast legal drain petition: Both approved. The surveyor’s office recommended establishing the Beckman Park Southeast legal drain as an urban drain, adding it to the Beckman Park watershed and setting an assessment at $100 per lot. The petitioner must provide a three-year maintenance bond or an irrevocable letter of credit on completion; the maintenance fund may accumulate to eight times the annual assessment and will be used for storm-sewer and subsurface tile maintenance.

- Peabody Farms West Section 4 (40 lots on ~50.7 acres): Approved. Runoff will discharge to Fishback Creek via existing detention basins.

- Project Domino drainage outlet to Deer Creek (data-center campus, ~1,500 acres): Approved. The board found plans meet the county stormwater ordinance and floodplain compensation requirements (county standards stricter than city requirements). Staff noted continued coordination on relocation and reconstruction of Saunders, Sanford and Framley legal drains tied to the project.

- Zionsville Schools Early Learning Center (site adjacent to Stonegate Elementary School): Approved. Plans include detention basins with runoff routed partially through existing school infrastructure and partially to the Stonegate subdivision’s regulated drains.

Other board actions

- The board approved the Sept. minutes by voice vote.

Each approval carried by voice vote with no recorded opposition during the meeting.

What the board said: Brent from the surveyor’s office and Carrie Daley of Christopher Burke Engineering repeatedly told the board the projects’ plans and calculations meet the county’s stormwater ordinance and standards, subject in several cases to final technical checks and minor design clarifications (riprap sizing, grading on adjacent property, or final detention calculations).

Next steps: Developers must complete required technical clarifications and post bonds or letters of credit where required; the surveyor’s office will finalize documents and execute vacation orders or legal-drain establishment records as appropriate.