Plan Commission conditionally approves 14‑lot Walnut Run Estates, grants MRO waiver

The Zionsville Plan Commission conditionally approved the Walnut Run Estates primary plat (docket 2026‑04‑PP) and companion development plan (2026‑05‑DP) for a 14‑lot subdivision on roughly 14.53 acres. Staff recommended conditional approval subject to resolution of engineering and drainage items and a required tree inventory in the Michigan Road buffer area.

The petitioner, JB Partners LLC, told the commission it revised plans at commissioners’ request to route the required sidewalk through the subdivision where possible, added explicit maintenance language for private drives to the plat and the covenants, and incorporated landscaping commitments along the southern border with Chelsea Park. The commission granted a waiver of the Michigan Road Overlay (MRO) architectural design requirements for the residential lots, finding the waiver consistent with past practice for single‑family subdivisions in the overlay. The primary plat and development plan were then each conditionally approved; the development plan approval included submittal of final landscaping for the MRO buffer, a lighting plan with cut sheets, and a signage plan, and required resolution of outstanding DPW and engineering comments before permits are issued.

Commissioners and petitioner representatives discussed a remaining pathway segment at the subdivision’s north end that cannot be practically constructed now because of steep topography and mature trees. The petitioner agreed to dedicate right‑of‑way for the future pathway to the northern property line so that the town can complete the connection later or require the developer to construct the path if necessary. The planning commission voted unanimously on the final development plan and previously approved the waiver by voice vote.