Senior staff writer
Greenwood’s official emblem proclaims that it’s a City of Progress.
Based on late-year proposals, the municipality is poised to live up to its motto by the end of the decade.
This year Greenwood entered the roundabout craze by completing its first one at West Main Street and Averitt Road and construction of the state’s first new “diamond” interchange off Interstate-65 at Worthsville Road.
Construction continues on Emerson Avenue between Main and County Line Road with a new bio-medical building and Zaxby’s restaurant. On the north side of County Line Road, new development features a new Kroger and Costco.
Multimillion dollar developments lie ahead for Greenwood.
Gersham Partners, developers of prestigious centers in Noblesville and Carmel, proposes to build a multiple building retail, dining and entertainment complex on 105 acres of land that would be highly visible to motorists on I-65.
It is the same land at the southeast corner of County Line Road and I-65 where other developers pulled out of plans for Cabela’s and later a multipurpose sports/hotel/athletic complex.
Greenwood Mayor Mark Myers and Gersham Partners representatives began talking about the project during the early part of the year. Myers contends that the development will bring a more upscale image to the city, which already has major retail stores and restaurants in Greenwood Park Mall and three unique restaurants in Old Greenwood.
The $90 million development calls for Greenwood Town Center to contain retail shops for clothing and jewelry with a variety of other locations that would make the complex a true destination center.
Some infrastructure already is in place because of previous plans by Cabela’s and with $2 million set aside by the city when the GoodSports athletic complex and hotel were proposed.
Land development and construction are expected to begin in 1916 with opening sometime in 2017; however, a variety of plans must be approved by the Greenwood Plan Commission and City Council.
The center is expected to be modeled after the Hamilton Town Center in Noblesville, a 667,000-square-foot complex built in 2009 with more than 90 shops and restaurants.
Gersham Partners represents the third planned development for the site, but city leaders are confident that the center will become a reality and spur more growth east of Greenwood.
Downtown Greenwood
With the excitement generated by the proposed center, city officials continue to look at ways to improve Old Town Greenwood, particularly improving the facades of buildings on Main.
A total of $1.1 million in grants and funds can be used to enhance the appearance of Downtown.
The city has hired Rundell Ernstberger to develop plans to improve the appearance of Madison Avenue and Main as a first step.
When construction on a new $23 million middle school west of Averitt is completed in 2017, the old one on Madison will be vacated.
The Greenwood Redevelopment Commission recently set aside $1 million to purchase the existing school and its 23 acres. The monies would come from the tax-increment finance district.
Plans also call for a roundabout at Smith Valley Road and Madison to alleviate traffic problems in a congested area that includes Meridian Street and U.S. 31.
City leaders want to make Greenwood a destination site and are seeking public input through www.RestoreOldTownGreenwood.org.