The Hancock County Area Plan Commission voted 5-0 Tuesday to send a favorable recommendation to county commissioners for a sprawling new development called the Hancock Gateway Park Wellness District. The project, proposed by Hancock Health, would expand the existing Hancock Gateway Park with a mix of residential, commercial and outdoor recreation uses just south of Greenfield.
A Divided Panel, A Unanimous Vote
The favorable recommendation, reported by The Daily Reporter, came after two commission members, Lacey Willard and Scott Wooldridge, recused themselves due to their own personal connections to Hancock Health. Two other members, Dean Fout and Derek Towle, were not in attendance, leaving a smaller group to cast the 5-0 vote. The proposal had been continued at the prior month's meeting in September for further deliberation, when members discussed the community's long-term impact, small road frontage sizes and height restrictions.
Geographically, the wellness district would sit south of the current Hancock Gateway PUD and would be bordered on the west by the Heron Creek subdivision, according to the same report. The plan divides the property into five internal districts: a town center, a park common area, a residential/commercial zone, a restricted residential zone and an agricultural/retail zone.
Height Limits and a Comparison to Fishers
Under the draft PUD ordinance, the maximum height for principal buildings would be 65 feet, except for hotels, which would be limited to 85 feet or six stories, with a minimum distance of 10 feet required between buildings. Harold Gibson, Hancock Health's director of property development, told the commission that only 21% of the proposed wellness district would allow buildings higher than 65 feet, compared with almost 90% of the existing Hancock Gateway PUD.
Gibson compared the project to The Yard at Fishers District, a similar mix of dining, retail, entertainment and residential uses. He also pointed to a shift in the local rental market, saying tenants are moving away from empty nesters and divorced parents toward people who work from home — a trend he framed as part of the rationale for the project's design.
School Concerns Over Three-Bedroom Units
Hancock Health has committed to limiting three-bedroom units to no more than 10% of the overall development, a detail that drew direct attention during the meeting. Planning commission member Renee Oldham raised concerns about how three-bedroom units could affect local school districts, particularly Mt. Vernon.
Mt. Vernon Schools Superintendent Jack Parker told the commission that students are more likely to change schools if they live in units with three or more bedrooms, and said great schools go hand in hand with great communities. Parker added that he was pleased three-bedroom units make up a smaller share of the project, and said its impact on Mt. Vernon schools would be negligible.
Economic Case and County Growth
Matt Browning, Hancock Health's chief operating officer, said the development continues the health system's existing story and represents its next chapter, adding that the project would create jobs, investment and long-term economic growth. County Commissioner Jeannine Gray, who also sits on the planning commission, said she wants to see this type of development across Hancock County.
The push for new housing and mixed-use development comes as Hancock County has been among the state's fastest-growing. The Daily Reporter previously reported that the county's population grew 14.1% between 2010 and 2020, nearly three times Indiana's statewide growth rate, making it the fifth-fastest-growing county in the state over that decade. Separately, Inside INdiana Business reported that the county's population jumped 89% from 1990 to 2023, reaching 86,166 residents.
Hancock Gateway Park itself has been described by Inside INdiana Business as a 160-acre mixed-use campus, with the 200-unit Riley Crossing apartment project serving as the first phase of a broader development that could eventually add more than 1,200 apartments and town houses along with more than 14,000 square feet of retail space. The newly recommended wellness district would build on that footprint, with Hancock Health framing it as an effort to create the healthiest neighborhood in the county.
Tuesday's vote sends the proposal to county commissioners, who have not yet taken up the matter. The planning commission's recommendation does not amount to final county approval, and questions about timing, construction and the ultimate shape of the project remain with the commissioners going forward.
