Developer looks to build 400 homes near LEAP district in Lebanon
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An Indianapolis-based developer has submitted plans to build a 400-home community southeast of the future Eli Lilly and Co. manufacturing campus under construction at the LEAP Lebanon Innovation and Research District in Boone County.
Gradison Land Development Inc. is looking to build the Spring Creek Planned Unit Development on 140 acres in Lebanon. The project would be bounded by County Road 300 North to the south, State Road 39 to the east and the CSX railroad to the west.
Spring Creek would be divided into four areas that would include 170 single-family houses, 130 duplex units, 100 townhouses and 25 acres of commercial space at the intersection of State Road 39 and County Road 300 North.
Potential amenities would include a dog park, pickleball courts, a firepit and a community area. The developer is looking to secure an anchor tenant for the commercial area.
“All this stuff has blown up with the LEAP district and Lilly, and it’s quite an exciting time and we’re excited to help this area grow with additional housing and needed services that are going to be in need on this corridor,” Adam Mears, an attorney representing Gradison Land Development, told the Lebanon Planning Commission on Monday night.
Lilly’s $3.7 billion project is located near the proposed housing development area across the CSX railroad tracks. Lilly plans to employ 700 workers in Lebanon.
The pharmaceutical giant will serve as the anchor tenant of the Indiana Economic Development Corp.’s LEAP Lebanon Innovation and Research District, a planned 11,000-acre advanced manufacturing and tech hub in Boone County. LEAP is an acronym for “Limited Exploration/Advanced Pace.”
Gradison Land Development is requesting that the land for Spring Creek be rezoned from single-family residential to a planned unit development with mixed-use residential. Indianapolis-based Weihe Engineers and Atlanta-based Beazer Homes of Indiana LLP are also working on the proposed development.
Mears said construction would take five to seven years to complete if the project receives approval from the Lebanon City Council.
The planning commission forwarded the initial plans to the city council with a favorable recommendation. The city council will learn about Spring Creek at its May 22 meeting.
“The LEAP district and Eli Lilly project just west of this area will add demand for additional housing types and commercial services,” Lebanon Planning Director Ben Bontrager said.
Spring Creek would be about a mile from a proposed future interchange near Interstate 65 and County Road 300 North. The Indiana Department of Transportation is also planning improvements along County Road 300 North to turn it into a 140-foot-wide, four-lane boulevard.