A planned new mixed-use development along Fishers’ South Street near Lantern Road is ready to break ground, pending approval from the city’s Nickel Plate Review Committee.
The committee expressed support for the District South project, but members wanted more site-plan details before signing off on the $33 million “urban village” project. They voted unanimously Dec. 20 to postpone action on the proposal.
The committee reviews projects within the Nickel Plate and City Center Residential districts to ensure they meet code requirements and compatibility with surrounding developments, among other considerations.
District South’s developer is Rebar Development. In a later email exchange, Rebar president and partner Shelby Bowen stated the project will be anchored by a four-story building surrounded by four three-story buildings. All will be mixed-use structures, offering apartments and commercial space.
Bowen stated that the central building will comprise 14,000 square feet of office space that already has been claimed by housing developer Annex Group as its new headquarters.
“The Annex building will also have (38) residential loft apartments on upper floors, a 2,500 square foot rooftop patio, rooftop café, rooftop work-from-home lounge and an engaging civic plaza and courtyard with barbecue grill, fire pit and water fountain,” Bowen stated.
The four three-story buildings will offer a mix of 44 apartments and commercial suites designed for small businesses, she stated.
“District South will have its own fitness center exclusively for residents and employees who work in the village,” Bowen added. “All the apartments will have large balconies or patios, quartz counters, stainless steel appliances, full-size washer/dryer, tile backsplash in the kitchen, tile surrounds in bathrooms and large windows with an abundance of natural light.”
She stated that the project will offer residents easy access to the Nickel Plate Trail and Cheeney Creek Trail. It’s expected to be completed in 2025.
During the Nickel Plate Review Committee meeting on Dec. 20, 2023, documents provided by Rebar comprised primarily building elevations, but nothing related to landscaping. Committee member Emily Bowman said she wanted to see more.
“There’s more than just the buildings,” she said. “I think I would like to see more before I’m willing to say, ‘This is awesome, this is great.’ I think there’s a lot of awesomeness and greatness here, but I think that we’re just not there with what we’re seeing.”
Committee member Selina Stoller, who also sits on the Fishers City Council, agreed and said the submitted documents also should include plans for the two trails.
“This is where Cheeney (Trail) meets (Nickel Plate Trail),” she said. “We need to have that stated there somehow, someway. There’s that one big part in the middle of the building — I don’t know if you want to put it on your pillars, or whatever. But I think that kind of tying those two together, somehow (is needed).”
Stoller also suggested that the plans include some kind of public art, which a Rebar representative said is planned, with space designated for murals.
To not delay the development project, committee members agreed to schedule a special meeting as soon as the requested renderings were available, rather than waiting for the next regular meeting on Jan. 24. At deadline, for a special meeting had not yet been announced.
