Brownsburg council accepts Lincolnwood Park master plan concept, authorizes baseline improvements

The Brownsburg Town Council voted to accept the Lincolnwood Park master plan as a general concept and authorized staff to proceed with baseline improvements, including earthwork and drainage, basic utilities, phased trails and re-striping of existing parking.

The move, made after months of planning and a two-week delay from a prior meeting, was framed as an effort to preserve the long-term vision for the property while keeping larger, higher-cost elements — such as an amphitheater and indoor recreation center — subject to later council approval. Council members emphasized that future phases would require separate votes and additional financial analysis.

Park staff presented a phased approach that staff called “baseline improvements”: earthwork and drainage repairs, utility extensions to support any future development, phased trails construction and re-striping of parking areas to make the park usable in the near term. The staff presentation also stated that any earthwork, drainage or utility work exceeding typical procurement thresholds would be brought back to council for contract approval.

Public commenters and several councilors cautioned that the plan’s larger amenities could substantially increase the town’s long-term costs. Rob Kendall of 624 South Grant Street told the council the plan grew far beyond earlier proposals: “The project went from 20 ish million to 100,000,000,” and he said residents had not authorized that scale of spending. Other commenters urged preserving park character and prioritized trails over large capital projects.

Council discussion stressed conditions the council placed on moving forward: no intent to increase property taxes to fund the project, further financial clarification and review by the town’s municipal advisor, pursuit of developer financing and public–private options, and explicit council review of any proposed Build–Operate–Transfer (BOT) agreements before commitment. One council member cited Indiana Code 5-23-3-32 (authorizing leasing of public facilities to private operators under specified terms) as a statutory reference to consider for any BOT arrangement.

At the meeting the council made a motion to approve the “Lincolnwood Park master plan” as presented and authorized the baseline improvements described by staff. The motion passed on a roll-call vote with four members voting in favor and one opposed.

Council members and staff said the baseline work is expected to make the property more usable and to open future grant opportunities, while any decision to build a rec center, amphitheater or other high-cost amenities would require separate proposals, additional financial detail and subsequent council votes.

Planning staff said they will draft a step-by-step implementation plan and return with timelines and cost estimates. The town manager thanked councilors for direction and said staff would proceed to design baseline projects and present next steps for council review.