VILLAGE CONSERVATION DISTRICT
(updated July 2006)

Are you concerned that older homes are being torn down at a faster rate?  Or, are you concerned that some new homes could detract from the Village’s unique historic and architectural character?

A committee of your neighbors is proposing a “Conservation District” as a solution to those concerns.  The district would establish controls over the following actions before they occur to older residential properties in the Village: moving a structure, exterior demolition, and new construction.  The district would not oversee any interior or exterior renovations or force you to do anything to your property.  It would not oversee demolition of newer homes or impact commercial or industrial properties.

Here are the next steps:

1. The committee is sending the guidelines to all property owners in the August issue of our newsletter.  You can also download the guidelines and a proposed ordinance below.
2. You are invited to the VRA’s August 22nd meeting (7:30pm at the Sullivan Munce) to discuss the proposed ordinance and guidelines.
3. We will then ask property owners to vote on the guidelines and ordinance.  If a majority of the owners vote yes, the Village Residents Association will ask the Town Council to pass the new ordinance to establish a Zionsville Conservation District Commission (ZCDC) – a group of volunteers who will work with the Plan Commission.  The ZCDC would then adopt a final map and set of design guidelines and start their work.
4. If a majority of owners say no, the Village Residents Association will not take the ordinance and guidelines to the Town Council.

Draft Guidelines – download here  (pdf format)

Draft Ordinance – download here   (pdf format)

For more information
If you have questions or concerns, please feel free to contact committee chair Tony Macklin at 250.3805 or amacklin@indy.rr.com.  The other committee members are also your neighbors:  Norm Ast, Beth Bugbee, Drew Kogan, Amy Lacy, Jack McClellan, and Judy Varner.  Ed Mitro and John Tousley provided technical expertise.

Helpful Links

The state legislation that enables both conservation and historic preservation districts is at www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title36/ar7/ch11.html or in PDF format at www.in.gov/legislative/ic/code/title36/ar7/ch11.pdf. 

You can find nice guides to architectural styles at www.in.gov/dnr/historic/styles.html and www.historiclandmarks.org/help/PDFs/On%20Street%20PDF.pdf

Indianapolis has a number of active conservation districts.  While they operate under a different state statute than the rest of Indiana, their overall purpose is similar to what your VRA committee is hoping for.  Their information is at www.indygov.org/eGov/City/DMD/IHPC/Districts/Conservation/home.htm