The concept plan for Innovation Park shows several different areas of the mixed-use development. Submitted concept plan
Nearby residents packed into Franklin City Hall this week as the plan commission considered the concept plan for Franklin College’s tech park.
The Franklin Plan Commission approved a concept plan for the second time Tuesday for Franklin College’s Innovation Park Planned Unit Development, or PUD. The vote was unanimous, but commission member Suzanne Findley and vice president Georganna Haltom were absent.
The commission previously approved a concept plan for the project in May 2024, but Franklin College took longer than one year to submit a Detailed Plan for the PUD. Because that was not submitted within a year, the process had to start over, city officials said.
The project will span approximately 250 acres on the north side of Park Avenue/Greensburg Road and west of Umbarger Lane/County Road 450 East. The property is currently zoned residential, according to planning documents.
The current situation
Planning for the project changed after Franklin College wasn’t a recipient of one of a grant from the Lilly Endowment. Now, the college has made some tweaks and anticipates the project will be privately funded, said Tim Ochs, attorney representing Franklin College.
The biggest change since the last concept plan in 2024 was that the Franklin College/Office/Innovation space flipped places with one of the office/innovation areas on the map, said Joanna Tennell, city planning director. The Franklin College area was switched because there was uncertainty and an increased need to provide flexibility now that grant funding won’t be available, Ochs said.
Franklin College has also partnered with Westfield-based Patch Development and has spent more time with city staff to develop the plans. The mixed-use area toward the east side of the project was also reduced while the office/innovation area was expanded, Ochs said.
The detached residential and attached residential areas are the exact same shape, size and location as before, Ochs said. These areas abut existing housing.
Any lot located within 100 feet of the northern boundary will have a specific set of standards, like a minimum lot size of 12,500 square feet and a minimum lot width of the lesser of 85 feet or the width of the lot that it backs up to, Ochs said.
There will also be a 25-foot buffer yard around the entire perimeter of the PUD, plus a 50-foot setback for the detached residential area that backs up to homes, Ochs said.
Additionally, there is a minimum living area of 1,600 for a ranch and 1,800 for two-story homes, he added.
“We really felt like we needed to keep those in,” Ochs said. “That was what was fair for all involved.”
The home builder for the project is not yet under contract.
Public comment
Nearby homeowners brought questions and comments to the plan commission on traffic, drainage, safety and the quality of the homes.
“We support Franklin College and their effort to make Franklin a better community, and we want to be part of this PUD development plan,” said resident Glenn Carlstrand, who spoke on behalf of the homeowners.
Carlstrand said residents are concerned that the quality and aesthetic of the new homes won’t match the existing neighborhood.
He pointed out how his neighborhood’s existing lot sizes are 15,000 to 20,000 with 2,600 to 3,000 square foot living areas. That is larger than the proposed 12,500 square feet lot sizes and 1,600 to 1,800 square foot living areas for this proposal.
Carlstrand also questioned who the builder would be and wanted to know if the homes would be owner-occupied or if corporations could buy up the lots and rent them out.
For the business areas, Carlstrand wanted to know what types of companies would be at the tech park and wanted Franklin College to commit to only high-tech, medical and research-type businesses.
“The people in the community want guarantees and promises that Franklin College is bringing the best they can bring to our community,” Carlstrand said.
Another resident, Andy Kinsey, said he wanted city officials to “trust but verify” what Franklin College is proposing. He recommended a 75-foot buffer zone instead of a 50-foot buffer zone for more privacy and wanted to see exactly what the homes would look like.
Kinsey was also concerned about traffic. People already run stop signs at Milford Drive and Jefferson Street. He advocated for a traffic study and for Milford Drive not to be used as the main thoroughfare in the development.
“I think we want to support the project, but we also want to see high standards, we want to see quality,” Kinsey said.
The response
While Ochs appreciated the comments that people shared at Tuesday’s meeting, he steered away from making specific comments on several items that the residents sought to clarify. However, Ochs said Franklin College isn’t “passing the buck.” The public will be able to look at detailed standards and make specific comments on them later in the process.
“We share a lot of the same goals and the same objectives and we look forward to that dialogue at the detailed development plan level,” he said.
Franklin College has chosen to take a key role in the development of the land rather than sell it. This is so college officials could be certain the development would serve the city and the college well.
“We’ve been, as an institution, really strategic about what to do with this land because we recognize what it means to the future of Franklin, well beyond the future of Franklin College,” said Kerry Prather, Franklin College president.
Specifically, the industries being pursued for the project would be exclusively high-tech industries that would collaborate with the college and initial commitments are life sciences and other high-tech businesses aside from biology and chemistry, Prather said.
Franklin College also spoke with other major developers in greater Indianapolis and partnered with Patch Development because they have the same vision that the college has for Franklin, Prather added.
Tennell also added that the PUD process is meant to have a less detailed plan initially, so that developers can hear initial comments and use those to create a detailed plan. The process allows both city planners and residents to give comments on the development.
A traffic study will be required before the primary plat and drainage plans will be reviewed later in the process. Rules for reviewing drainage plans are “more stringent nowadays” than they were when other developments were approved, said Matt McElroy, city engineer.
With the approved concept plan, Franklin College and Patch Development will now prepare a detailed plan. In the future, the detailed plan will be considered at the plan commission with a public hearing and the city council with another public hearing.
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