Whoa hoss.
Want to send the horse country gentry galloping into a lather?
Mention the possibility of an interchange with Cooper Road and I-865.
Over the past six months, the Zionsville Transportation Plan Steering Committee has been discussing alternatives to get traffic in-and-out of Zionsville. It's all part of updating the Transportation Plan to fit with the town's revised land use plan.
The engineering firm of HNTB is under contract with the Metropolitan Planning
Organization (MPO) to develop the updated transportation and land use plan for Zionsville. The MPO is a quasi-governmental body comprised of representatives of Marion, and the doughnut counties, which passes on transportation projects to the Indiana Department of Transportation and federal highway agencies.
Members of the steering committee are: Tim Haak, Art Harris, Judith Essex, Chad Sweeney, Chad Pittman, Larry Jones, Jim Longest, John Ottensman, and Sanjay Patel; together with MPO members Stephanie Belch, Cat Schoenherr; Ed Mitro, Lance Lantz and Terry Jones, of the town's staff; John Myers and Matt Miller, of HNTB.
The interchange at Cooper and I-865 was ``introduced as part of the long-range transportation plan'' in 1988 and has been pretty much dormant until this latest go-round.
Since then, residents of southwestern Boone County, who have large tracts of land devoted to raising, training and boarding horses, have sought to protect the bucolic landscape. This was accomplished by the creation of special zoning - R-E1 - and having the area declared a rural historic district by Indiana Historic Landmarks, all of which was privately funded by the landowners.
One of the prime jewels of the area is the internationally acclaimed, annual Traders Point Hunt Charity Horse Show, which has been privately sponsored and organized over the years by the Johnson family - the late Sylvester Johnson, his wife, Liz and son, Johnny.
Cooper Road dissects the heart of this equine district, dead ending at Indiana 334 - its northern terminus. South of I-865, Cooper Road ends at 88th Street in Marion County.
Residents of the country north of I-865 are concerned, and rightly so, that the traffic generated by an interchange at Cooper Road will not only greatly decrease property values, but seriously damage what they have created. They can honestly argue that gas stations at an interchange won't lend to the bucolic atmosphere.
Viewing the interchange and what will surely follow from a strictly transportation perspective, the interstate connection makes sense because it would siphon vehicles away from Ford and Zionsville roads and reduce traffic congestion in the village.
But, when and if the plan is accepted, the results would be disastrous to the area - the eventual widening of Cooper Road to accommodate increased traffic volumes - driving a stake through the heart of a special part of rural Zionsville and Boone County.
But, before getting too exercised, the Transportation Plan will have to be approved by the Zionsville Town Council. And, if the Price administration turns a deaf ear to the horse country folks and approves the plan, bet the farm that money will be no object in funding opponents to oust those voting for it.
Want to send the horse country gentry galloping into a lather?
Mention the possibility of an interchange with Cooper Road and I-865.
Over the past six months, the Zionsville Transportation Plan Steering Committee has been discussing alternatives to get traffic in-and-out of Zionsville. It's all part of updating the Transportation Plan to fit with the town's revised land use plan.
The engineering firm of HNTB is under contract with the Metropolitan Planning
Organization (MPO) to develop the updated transportation and land use plan for Zionsville. The MPO is a quasi-governmental body comprised of representatives of Marion, and the doughnut counties, which passes on transportation projects to the Indiana Department of Transportation and federal highway agencies.
Members of the steering committee are: Tim Haak, Art Harris, Judith Essex, Chad Sweeney, Chad Pittman, Larry Jones, Jim Longest, John Ottensman, and Sanjay Patel; together with MPO members Stephanie Belch, Cat Schoenherr; Ed Mitro, Lance Lantz and Terry Jones, of the town's staff; John Myers and Matt Miller, of HNTB.
The interchange at Cooper and I-865 was ``introduced as part of the long-range transportation plan'' in 1988 and has been pretty much dormant until this latest go-round.
Since then, residents of southwestern Boone County, who have large tracts of land devoted to raising, training and boarding horses, have sought to protect the bucolic landscape. This was accomplished by the creation of special zoning - R-E1 - and having the area declared a rural historic district by Indiana Historic Landmarks, all of which was privately funded by the landowners.
One of the prime jewels of the area is the internationally acclaimed, annual Traders Point Hunt Charity Horse Show, which has been privately sponsored and organized over the years by the Johnson family - the late Sylvester Johnson, his wife, Liz and son, Johnny.
Cooper Road dissects the heart of this equine district, dead ending at Indiana 334 - its northern terminus. South of I-865, Cooper Road ends at 88th Street in Marion County.
Residents of the country north of I-865 are concerned, and rightly so, that the traffic generated by an interchange at Cooper Road will not only greatly decrease property values, but seriously damage what they have created. They can honestly argue that gas stations at an interchange won't lend to the bucolic atmosphere.
Viewing the interchange and what will surely follow from a strictly transportation perspective, the interstate connection makes sense because it would siphon vehicles away from Ford and Zionsville roads and reduce traffic congestion in the village.
But, when and if the plan is accepted, the results would be disastrous to the area - the eventual widening of Cooper Road to accommodate increased traffic volumes - driving a stake through the heart of a special part of rural Zionsville and Boone County.
But, before getting too exercised, the Transportation Plan will have to be approved by the Zionsville Town Council. And, if the Price administration turns a deaf ear to the horse country folks and approves the plan, bet the farm that money will be no object in funding opponents to oust those voting for it.
