By James Feichtner
According to local officials, it is often rare to see intergovernmental negotiations carried out in a smooth manner, but as for the city of Fishers and Indianapolis Airport Authority, things couldn’t have gone smoother in their recent collaboration on a new economic development opportunity.
“There were no political overtones, which happens in every negotiation which affects every intergovernmental agency. It was the most smooth transition that I have seen in intergovernmental cooperation,” Hamilton County Commissioner and IAA Board Member John Dillinger said.”
On Oct. 19., Fishers City Council approved a Memorandum of Understanding between the city and the IAA regarding two plots of land at IAA owned Indianapolis Metropolitan Airport located at 96th Street and Hague Road. The MOU states that Fishers may utilize the 250 acres of land for economic developments, but in return the IAA is allowed final approval over Fishers developmental plan.
“What is unique about this is we’re not going to develop the land itself,” Fishers Mayor Scott Fadness said. “The way that the airport has crafted this memorandum of understanding with us is it allows the city of Fishers to control our own destiny in the sense that they’re delegating the authority to the city to develop the master plan, they have final approval of that, but then we also get to draft the request for proposals, select the developer/developers that we think is right, negotiate that deal and then bring it to the airport for approval.”
“We want to make sure that the development is good for both parties,” IAA Executive Director Mario Rodriguez said. “We want to make sure it’s good for the city and it’s good for the airport. For obvious reasons there are things that may not be good for the airport because you have aircraft flying around. In general, everybody is going to keep an open mind to any development that comes around and we are going to be guided by the wishes of the Fishers government.”
But things weren’t always so easily communicated between the city and IAA.
“In the past, Fishers was wanting to buy the airport and remove it and develop it a few years ago. The airport authority didn’t want to sell it,” Dillinger said.
With the airport not willing to budge, things remained stagnant at IMA.
“We got to a point where we were at a stand still where you had the Indianapolis Airport Authority Board saying, ‘this is a vital component to our system,’ and, at the time, city leaders saying ‘we want you to move or get rid of it,’” Fadness said. “That kind of loggerhead just put us in a state of paralysis where nothing was being developed.
But with new administration at both ends of the two entities, the city decided that if you can’t beat them, join them.
“From there I got into some in-depth conversations with Commissioner Dillinger along with the new (IAA) Executive Director Mario Rodriguez and it just clicked and we found some common ground,” Fadness said.
“I’m really excited about it. Mayor Fadness has just been fabulous to work with. The Airport Authority; the whole cooperation has just been a real pleasure to be a part of,” Dillinger said.
But the memorandum hasn’t set anything in stone other than the role between Fishers and IAA. While the next step is for the city to begin developing its master plan, Fadness wants to ensure that the community has ample opportunity to share what they’d like to see out of the development.
“I think there are a few residents concerned about what would be developed here and I think we’re putting the cart before the horse here a little bit in that (the Oct. 19) agreement that the council (approved) is really a framework.
The next step will be master building that, but what does that look like? What type of commercial development do they want to see here?” Fadness said. “Over the next three months we can have public meetings where we can say ‘what do you think of this plan’ or ‘what do you think of that plan?’ When we really land on and understand where the community wants to go, that’s when we go do a request for a proposal.”
Fadness said he is hoping to have a request out for a proposal to the development community by the end of the 2016 first quarter giving “plenty of time to engage our residents and have a conversation about what they want to see and what they don’t.”
For more info and updates on the IMA economic development, sign up for Fishers Civic Alert at www.fishers.in.us/fishersalert
About the Land
Size of land: 200 to 200 square feet
Benefit to city: “It’s going to bring jobs, its going to bring taxes, it’s going to uniform that corridor.” – Mario Rodriguez
Proposed developments: “There has been one or two developers that emailed me that said, ‘We’re very interested in this.’ There is some interest, but first I think the community needs to decide what it is they want there.”
