McCORDSVILLE — With the McCordsville Redevelopment Commission announcing their plans to construct a central area in the heart of the town, some citizens have expressed their approval, saying it’s a project that’s long overdue.
Over the course of six months, the redevelopment commission has been working with Tim Jensen of Veridus Group to identify visioning principles for what the heart of McCordsville, referred to as the Town Center, could look like in the future, according to a news release.
McCordsville Town Manager Tonya Galbraith said the ambitious project’s goal is to develop a place that makes the small town stand out and have an identity of its own.
“That’s the goal, develop a downtown that we don’t have,” Galbraith said.
The redevelopment commission is still in the process of creating its master plan for the community center, with careful consideration for consumer use and walkability.
“It’s all of those concepts,” Galbraith said. “It’s not just ‘let’s go shop.’ It’s about a whole new lifestyle.”
Andy Barnett, who has lived in McCordsville since 2002, said the development of the town was bound to happen sooner or later.
Many people, including himself, choose to live in McCordsville because the small town and wide open spaces are fitting for a country lifestyle, Barnett said. According to the local resident, however, urbanization projects like this aren’t a concern, adding that it would be nice to have a place up the road to do some shopping, eating and dining without having to drive to Carmel or Noblesville.
Municipalities and governments are always going to be looking for new ways to bolster a community’s attractiveness, Barnett added.
“You know, it is progress at the end of the day,” he said.
Faith Coffin, who has lived in town for more than 20 years, said she is glad that there will finally be a city center for her and her family to go out to eat. She absolutely supports any efforts the redevelopment commission makes to bring more businesses and people into McCordsville; maybe she won’t have to drive to Hamilton Town Center or Fishers just to go shopping, she said.
Coffin said it would be nice to see some boutiques, gift shops and other small businesses that might help the community grow a bit. She remembers when there were scarcely any businesses in the town at all, she said.
“I mean, we were tickled when the Taco Bell came to town,” Coffin laughed. “During the winter, we used to take our snow mobile through the fields to go to the grocery store.”
Resident Anne Jenson said when she first moved into McCordsville in 2013, her family thought it was strange that the small town didn’t have a downtown area at all, she said. The redevelopment commission’s move to give the town a benchmark location is a great idea, Jenson said.
The planned location for the town center, generally designated to be located between Broadway and County Road 750N behind CVS and behind the cemetery on County Road 600W, will make a good location for the project, she said.
“I would definitely support it; I come down this way all the time,” Jenson said. “I do think it’s overdue.”
The Town Center Development Plan is scheduled to be completed by the end of this year, the news release states.
“Bringing Context Design on to help us create our Town Center is very exciting,” said Heather Blaudow, McCordsville Redevelopment Commission president, in the town’s news release. “Rarely does a community have the opportunity to develop exactly how a town center should look and feel.”