FISHERS, Ind. – In efforts to make sure the open land in Fishers is put to good use, on Thursday the city announced plans to slow down development and put more thought into what it allows to set up shop along I-69 between 106th and 116th streets.
There are a lot of businesses vying for open plots of land in that area.
Mayor Scott Fadness says every day, he hears proposals for spots up for sale. But going forward, he wants the city to be much more picky about which businesses they welcome in.
One of the already established business’ owners says he remembers a different area from a few years ago. He’s been there for over 50 years.
“There was only one stoplight on 116th,” Archer’s Meat Market owner Ron Archer said. “There was no paid police department – no fire department. A lot of changes – a lot of changes. There was nothing out that way.”
The changes in that area now are hard to miss, including all the “coming soon” and “construction” signs.
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The mayor’s new plan would require every new development in the corridor to first go through city council, which would impose tougher standards and zoning ordinances.
Some of those changes include keeping the developments similar, so it’s not a mix-and-match group of development.
“Our concern is we might get this hodge-podge of development that, when you drive through it, won’t seem like there’s a vision behind it,” Fadness said.
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The proposed development slow-down will be voted on by the Fishers City Council in a week and a half.
If you want to chime in on the debate, there is a public meeting on the issue at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Thomas A. Weaver Municipal Complex at Fishers City Hall (1 Municipal Drive, Fishers).
