The Latest Scoop: Developments, Detours & Drinks Downtown
It's been a busy April in Noblesville.
There’s a lot of new action this month in Noblesville. Before we jump in, I have a few quick updates to share:
The Indiana Peony Festival is right around the corner — and you should be there. Its annual fundraiser to beautify downtown takes place on Friday, May 17th and the festival itself kicks off on Saturday, May 18th! Learn more about the festival and the ways it benefits downtown Noblesville by clicking here. Information for parking the day of the festival can be found here too.
Over the past few years, I’ve shared the innovative approach that we’ve taken with public safety in the City of Noblesville. You may remember that in the last legislative session, Mayor Jensen and Senator Scott Baldwin took NobleAct statewide by introducing and ushering the blueprint through the state legislature. With legislation now passed, Mayor Jensen traveled to Terre Haute to hand the NobleAct blueprint over to their team to begin implementation in Indiana’s 15th largest city. Take a look inside the roundtable by clicking here.
A Wawa is under consideration for Noblesville’s east side. This one is proposed for the southwest corner of Howe and 146th Street. More info can be found by clicking here.
And on a personal note, I’m grateful to have been included in this year’s IBJ 40 Under 40. It’s a privilege to work alongside each of you to carefully embrace Noblesville’s growth while balancing the preservation of our city’s character in the process. The IBJ specifically highlighted our efforts to protect downtown and the unique ways we’ve considered growth over the past four years in the profile that I’ve included below. Thank you for the opportunity to continue serving you!
Grab a Drink: DORA District Approval
This month, the City introduced a DORA district for the Council’s consideration.
What is a DORA: A Designated Outdoor Refreshment Area (DORA) allows patrons 21-years and older to purchase alcoholic beverages from approved businesses within a specified district and carry them outside to be consumed within the DORA’s boundaries. Beverages may be taken around the designated DORA, either while relaxing outdoors, enjoying one of the many downtown events or while shopping at retailers permitting DORA beverages in their businesses.
Benefits:
Boost Tourism in the Downtown
New Revenue Source for Restaurants and Bars
Increased Revenue and Spending in Retailers within the DORA Boundaries
Boost to Local Economy via Increase in Food & Beverage Tax Revenue
Easier Process for Organizations Hosting Downtown Events in the DORA
Who are the Designated Permittees in the DORA?
Many Noblesville favorites are first adopters! Upon approval by the Council and the State, these are the restaurants that you’d be able to buy a beverage from and frequent downtown shops: Syd’s, Alexander's, The Nesst, Primeval Brewing, Bica Café, Bru Burger, 9th Street Bistro, Silver Dollar, Noble Coffee & Tea Company, Elks Lodge #576 and Matteo’s.
For Consideration: New Developments
There are four developments that were introduced at our last meeting, all of which lie on the East side of SR-37. Let’s dive into an overview of each of them.
Montelena: MI Homes has proposed consideration of 190 for sale townhomes on Greenfield Road, east of Union Chapel Road.
This MI Homes proposal is unique because of the restrictions the Council has requested the developer agree to. While the law puts certain limits on the restrictions we’re able to put on housing developments as a Council, we wanted to take action within our legal boundaries to ensure that residents who wanted to put roots down in Noblesville had the first shot. In this light, we’re making the approval of this community contingent on the HOA crafting and imposing protections against buyers from renting within a year of purchase. These restrictions will be recorded by the HOA against each lot so that buyers are aware of the restrictions at time of purchase.
Oasis at Hyde Park: Fischer Homes has proposed consideration of 74 units of for sale townhomes on 15.5 acres located south of Campus Parkway and east of “Marilyn Ridge Subdivision” to be known as “Oasis at Hyde Park”.
Branson Reserve: MI Homes has proposed consideration of 52 acres for the development of 147 units of single-family housing located west of Promise Road at its intersection with E. 196th Street by MI Homes
Kingsley at Hyde Park: Trinitas Development has proposed consideration of a for-rent community, including townhomes, villas, and a commercial area on 42 acres located north of E. 136th Street and west of Brooks School Road. This is a part of the broader high-end Hyde Park Development located by Hamilton Town Center.
Important: Road Detours Begin
For the latest on each project, click the website below for more:
Allisonville & 146th: Hamilton County is reconstructing the Allisonville/146th Street intersection. While 146th Street will never close during this construction, Allisonville fully closed for 90 days beginning March 1st. More info at streamline146.com.
SR-32/Conner Street: I’ve been working closely with the Administration on this INDOT project since it began on April 1st. I’ve heard from some of you how traffic is impacting your corner of the neighborhood and I want to reassure you that our public safety team is working on it. Look for more tweaks to enforcement measures from NPD and signage changes to prevent large trucks from frequenting local downtown Noblesville roads.
The crews are currently wrapping up Phase One (16th Street intersection) and will soon move onto Phase Two (A full closure of SR-32 from 16th Street through 9th Street, including the intersection of 9th and 10th). INDOT expects each phase to take approximately 30 – 45 days to complete.
INDOT has set up a website, social media pages, text updates and a newsletter to keep you up to date. Please find links to those below:
For text updates, text “INDOT Reconstructing SR 32” to 468311. If you have questions about this project, please feel free to reach out to INDOT at 1-855-INDOT4U or www.INDOT4U.com/
Before you go, a few trending stories:
Here are a few stories you may have missed on Noblesville over the past month:
IndyStar: Kroger grocery store, nearly 100 new homes proposed for 146th Street in Noblesville
WTHR: Courting Caitlin Clark: Noblesville tries to lure new Indiana Fever star to live in town
WRTV: Meijer looking to fill 250 positions for new Noblesville location
Indy’s Child: The Indiana Peony Festival in Noblesville
WRTV: Noblesville making push for Caitlin Clark to call the city home
Fox59: Noblesville discusses designated outdoor refreshment area
Current: Noblesville Common Council introduced to proposed plans for three housing communities
IndyStar: Downtown Noblesville road to close for four months. Find out where.
Current: Bier Brewery opens in Noblesville
Current: Noblesville School Board approves course additions, future school year calendars