own leaders say developing South Village will create more public gathering spaces and draw more visitors to Zionsville’s historic Main Street businesses. (IBJ photo/Eric Learned)
That’s why the first-term mayor is planning a public outreach tour throughout Zionsville to pitch his plan for a 160-acre, $250 million development south of the town’s quaint, historic downtown, which is home to 600 houses and more than a dozen local businesses.
John Stehr
“If it’s not going to be a community effort, I don’t think, ultimately, it’s going to be successful,” Stehr said. “I think we all need to reach some level of agreement on how to proceed.”
The project called South Village could include about 250 residential units in the form of single-family houses, condos and multifamily buildings; 500,000 square feet of office space, retail, dining and public plazas; parks and nature trails; and two parking garages. The development would be built in stages over about five years if the proposal receives approval from the Zionsville Town Council.
Stehr retired in 2018 after a 42-year career in television news, which included 23 years as a news anchor at WTHR-TV Channel 13. He said he recognizes the need to be precise in his communication given the scope of the South Village plan and scars that remain for some residents following previous attempts to develop that area.
Stehr, Deputy Mayor Kate Swanson and other town staff will hold about two dozen “South Village chats” over the next two months to talk with residents about the project. Stehr said the focus will be on both what the town plans to do and what it won’t do.
According to Stehr, the project would help bring more visitors to the Village Business District—the historic downtown area—and create public spaces for people to gather. It would be built in stages and would not touch the town’s brick Main Street or Lincoln Park, the site of a former train depot where President Abraham Lincoln stopped to speak to Zionsville residents in 1861 on the way to his inauguration.
“I think what we have with our brick Main Street is special,” Stehr said, adding that other communities have had to build what Zionsville already has.