Zionsville planners approve soccer/lacrosse renovations
Jun. 22—The initial public hearing of a development plan amendment for the expansion of the Zionsville High School Soccer Field Athletic Complex was read at this week's Zionsville Plan Commission meeting.
The current 87 acres at 440 South 875 East is zoned rural special use 1 and had to be rezoned to school special use 1 for the project to move forward.
"The main focus of this project is to relocate and improve the existing athletic field to accommodate a soccer/lacrosse stadium and the expansion of the adjacent parking lot. The total number of fields will not change," explained John Becker, who was representing Zionsville Community Schools at the meeting. "One of the current fields is being repositioned and redeveloped with artificial turf, bleacher seating for 1,200, a press box, scoreboard and a concession and restroom building."
The existing parking lot will also be expanded to add 195 spots.
Multiple residents who live near the proposed site were in attendance at the plan commission meeting to offer their praise for the project — with some exceptions.
Some residents complained that students walk across the road adjacent to the field and more and more would continue to do so after it's finished.
"I'm very much in support of this project. I think that having it close to the house and have families able to go to the games while having these amenities closer and giving the school the ability to decide what to do is great," Mark Blanton said. But he went on to share some concerns.
Blanton said the commission needs to look holistically at the traffic and safety of the area. He recommended the addition of a four-way stop at the intersection to make pedestrians safer when using the pathways.
Becker added that ZCCS is committed to working with the Town of Zionsville to keep the proposed area safe and that the district is not adding any new fields, but repurposing one into amenities and adding turf to another.
The amendment was passed with a vote of 5-1, with commission member Larry Jones being the only no vote. Jones had concerns about pedestrian traffic in the area although the engineering study did not find any problems with the current setup for the area.
