Bargersville maps out 20-year development vision

After nearly a year of gathering public input and examining priorities, Bargersville has mapped out what it hopes to look like in 20 years.

The Bargersville Town Council on Tuesday unanimously approved the Vision 2040 plan. The plan, though not binding, is intended to guide development moving forward.

The westside town of about 7,700 residents—the fastest growing in Johnson County—has lofty goals, according to the plan. Highlights include mixed-use hospitality, office spaces and warehouses at the future Interstate 69 interchange, restaurants and retail downtown, significant housing growth along State Road 144 and plans to retain and add to its natural spaces and recreational amenities.

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About the

process

Town leaders, with help from Indianapolis-based Taylor, Siefker, Williams Design Group, LLC and VS Engineering, sought input from residents through public planning meetings and surveys. The plan cost taxpayers $47,453 to develop, according to the town’s clerk-treasurer’s office.

The process began in August 2019, and offered opportunities for citizen input about issues facing the town and suggestions to improve conditions, said Ron Taylor, a partner and principal at Taylor, Siefker, Williams, which authored the plan. Residents helped shape goals, objectives and a vision statement for the town.

A draft of the plan was released in February, and final public input was sought at that time, he said.

The town council voted to adopt the plan Tuesday, the final step in the process.

There were 13 ways residents could provide input that will now inform the town’s growth, according to the plan. Among those were opportunities to attend two public meetings, three steering committee meetings and comment at the town’s Harvest Moon Festival in 2019.

The document is intended to be used as a guide as town officials make decisions regarding proposed developments in the next 20 years, rather than being implemented all at once. The plan is a document that should be revisited and revised about every five years, Taylor said. Some parts of the plan may be tweaked over time if development progresses faster than predicted, or if grants become available that could speed up projects, he said.

Projects proposed in the plan are not guaranteed to happen, and town officials will still have to consider each one individually.

What’s in the plan

The plan is guided by the following vision statement which calls on town officials to take steps to maintain the town’s rural charm as it considers future growth. This statement is the same one that guided the town’s last comprehensive plan and residents felt the statement still applied, Taylor said.

“Bargersville has the small-town charm of a rural farming community with a high growth potential. Residents wish to maintain the natural views and alluring topography of the landscape, as well as the friendliness and familiarity of their neighbors, while welcoming new community members,” the plan says. “Businesses are encouraged as part of concentrated growth centers to support a healthy economy and community, taking advantage of Bargersville’s excellent transportation access.”

Future land use will be organized around three “nodes,” or centers for specific types of development, according to the 124-page plan.

At the future I-69 interchange, now the intersection of State Road 37 and State Road 144, hospitality is envisioned. The area would include mixed-use developments such as technology, research, industrial, retail, offices and business incubators, large spaces that provide small office spaces for entrepreneurs who are in the beginning stages of building their businesses. The area could also become home to medical offices and restaurants, the plan says.

Agribusinesses are envisioned on the outskirts of town, in the rural areas along the county line. Mallow Run Winery, 6964 Whiteland Road, could serve as an anchor for future agritourism development, such as orchards, farm tours, nature preserves or campgrounds, according to the plan.

A civic and residential area will be centered about halfway between the new I-69 interchange and downtown Bargersville. At the heart is a new civic center. Per the plan, the civic center would house local government offices currently located at the town hall, and a new police headquarters.

Surrounding the civic center, town officials and residents want to see new housing at all price points, according to the plan. Among the homes, some neighborhood commercial development would be permitted, including small retailers such as a pharmacy, hardware store or clothing store, the plan says.

The town plans to focus on commercial redevelopment and new mixed-use developments in the downtown core. The plan calls for the redevelopment of existing buildings, while filling in gaps with “concentrated development” between downtown and Whiteland Road, along State Road 135. Downtown, mixed use is defined as having a retail or entertainment business on the ground floor, with apartments or office spaces on upper floors, according to the plan.

The plan outlines significant development, but the land use map still allows for rural spaces and seeks to “promote controlled, sustainable growth and development that is appropriate to adjacent land uses and the town,” the plan says.

Thousands of residents give feedback

Overall, the plan includes eight goals and objectives, the result of more than 1,000 comments from Bargersville residents, Taylor said.

Improving roadways to and from I-69 and making the new interchange an attractive gateway to the community is among the town’s highest priorities. Signage, landscaping and public art is envisioned at the I-69 gateway, according to the plan.

It also includes plans for major improvements to State Road 144 through the town, as well as a bypass to take heavy traffic through rural areas and away from residential areas.

Public feedback made it clear that roadways and trails needed to be included in the plan. For example, major thoroughfares such as State Road 144 are envisioned as four lane roadways with walking paths along each side.

The plan also calls for the town to spearhead a county-wide trail master plan, which would flesh out how Bargersville should be connected with trails in other local communities. The trail plan would depend on funding, the county’s cooperation and city and town participation, according to the plan.

Natural spaces, amenities a priority

It also calls on the town to work with the Johnson County Public Library to bring a branch and more mobile services to Bargersville, after several residents asked for better library services during the public input sessions.

Some other community amenities residents said they would like to see during the planning process include a performing arts center, a community center, with programs for all ages, and an indoor sports complex, for community and regional use.

Among the urbanization that is hoped for in the next 20 years, there is no shortage of natural spaces. For example, future housing developments could include wetlands and ponds that will act as natural stormwater control and also provide amenities to residents of the neighborhoods, according to the plan.

New parks are another way the town could create more natural spaces. A top priority should be building Kephart Park, to be located at Saddle Club Road and State Road 144, the plan says. The park, the most ambitious of those outlined in the five-year parks master plan, will include six park shelters, an outdoor entertainment venue, community playground, climbing or challenge element, and 1.36 miles of trails and pathways.

Other parks priorities should include those most requested by residents during the public meetings, according to the plan. The highest among those being a splash pad and dog park. Residents also asked for additional seasonal activities, such as a temporary ice skating rink.