McCORDSVILLE — McCordsville leaders are envisioning a desired path for the next two decades, and that intention is laid out in the 2045 Comprehensive Plan.
The 2045 Comprehensive Plan is a joint effort between the Town of McCordsville and Rundell Ernstberger Associates, and it looks to be the playbook McCordsville will use as it continues its growth. McCordsville had only 1,134 people in 2000, and current estimates put the population at above 11,000 according to data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Town officials hope that population growth continues at a rate of 4% annually.
Rose Scovel, senior planner at Rundell Ernstberger Associates, presented the plan to McCordsville Advisory Plan Commission during its March 18 meeting. The most recent comprehensive plan for the town was approved in 2011.
The 2045 Comprehensive Plan was created after months of feedback from community members and town officials through town halls and focus groups. Scovel said some of the big themes included in the plan were supplemented by action items for the town to take to carry out those plans.
The vision statement for the plan is by 2045, “McCordsville is a welcoming and charming town with an active town center, local businesses, desirable schools, good healthcare access, and quality housing options connected by a complete street network that provides access to regional destinations.”
Some of the major goals of the plan pertain to economic development, transportation, housing, town identity and public spaces. Scovel said growing a community identity in the rapidly growing town is crucial in the coming years.
“If people don’t have an opportunity to come together, they don’t really form a community, and that’s one of the challenges that rapidly growing communities face is that people don’t get to know their neighbors,” Scovel said.
To create community, several goals have been established, including supporting local businesses, creating more public spaces and encouraging public art throughout the community. Part of this goal includes developing an urban core that centers on McCord Square, Old Town and the Depot Street area.
That proposed urban core includes focusing on a town center downtown, a manufacturing and office hub toward the southern edge of the town, and keeping the historic feel and nature of Old Town.
To this end, the plan also focuses on investing in parks and green spaces in the community. McCordsville Parks and Recreation Department was established in June 2024, and currently consists of Old School Park, Town Hall Park and various other open spaces in McCord Square. Some immediate and short-term projects considered include building an amphitheater, conducting a youth sports survey and finishing renovations at Old School Park.
One of the major projects McCordsville is prioritizing in the future is the CSX railroad crossing at West Broadway. The town plans to widen County Road 600 West in 2026 to improve the traffic flow around the active crossing and to ease congestion, but the comprehensive plan says this is only a mid-term project. Ryan Crum, deputy town manager and director of planning and building, said the ultimate goal for the town is to build a dual underpass to separate the rail and the road, and the estimated cost for the project would be $85,000,000.
“This is something that’s going to take a joint effort of many jurisdictions, including federal money,” he said. “The midterm plan is intended to relieve the current pressures there and buy us time until we can deliver an underpass project.”
Potential growth of the Indianapolis Regional Airport at Mt. Comfort could necessitate an addition of another action item to the plan. After meetings with airport officials, Crum said they foresee a future where there is regularly scheduled cargo service at the airport, as well as recurring commercial passenger service.
“That is transformative when and if it ever happens. It is a long time out, but that changes everything,” Crum said. “If I said to you today, ‘I think we should put zoning for a hotel at County Road 500 North and County Road 600 West,’ you’d think I’m nuts. And I would be nuts. I’m probably not nuts in 20 years if there’s recurring passenger service there.”
As the town continues to grow, several immediate action items include adopting a unified development ordinance, which would combine zoning regulations with other city regulations into one unified document; revising the town zoning map; revising road standards; and establishing residential standards.
The plan commission did not take any action on the plan during its March 18 meeting, opting instead to look over the plan more and take action during the April 15 meeting.
If the plan commission votes for a favorable recommendation for the comprehensive plan, then it will go to McCordsville Town Council for final approval.