After years of false starts and changed plans, the Maple Del site in Fishers' Nickel Plate District finally has a home builder lined up.
On Tuesday, Oct. 6, the Fishers Redevelopment Commission voted unanimously to amend the project agreement so developer Mithra Development LLC can assign it to David Weekley Homes. The builder plans 54 for-sale townhomes and eight single-family homes on the site, according to LarryInFishers.com, which covered the meeting.
"We're really excited that we're at like the one-yard line now," said Megan Baumgartner, the city's director of economic development and community development.
A long and winding road
Baumgartner called the project "a long and winding road," and the history backs her up.
It started around 2018 as a J.C. Hart multifamily development. The COVID-19 pandemic pushed the city to rethink the site, and the plan shifted to for-sale homes under developer Corby Thompson and his Boomerang Development team. Old Town Group was initially expected to build the homes, but Baumgartner said that arrangement didn't work out, and the team turned to David Weekley.
The documents before the commission show that Mithra closed on the property Dec. 27, 2024, and was originally required to start townhome construction within a year. Mithra has cited delays beyond its control and has self-financed the project instead of taking out a construction loan. The overall site work carries an estimated $5.6 million investment.
The architecture has been approved through the Nickel Plate Review Committee, and permits are largely in hand, Baumgartner said. The amendment and a sewer agreement were the last pieces needed.
What's planned, and the deadline
The three-story townhomes will be paired with single-family homes along the south side of the site on 116th Street. The houses will act as a buffer, so headlights and parking don't spill into existing neighbors' homes and backyards.
The amendment also removes a multiparty covenant the commission had required as protection while the home builder was still unknown. Baumgartner said the covenant is no longer needed because city staff worked closely with the builder on the site plan and architecture, and dropping it gives David Weekley Homes the comfort to take on the agreement. She said the city's commitments to the project don't change.
Attorney Jennifer Messer told commissioners the developer's investment has already gone beyond what the original agreement required. The only protection the city gives up, she said, is a trigger tied to continuing construction. The other trigger, a failure to begin work, is essentially already met.
Messer said it would be "super odd" for the builder to start and then not finish, given the money already invested. She also noted that the mayor has described the David Weekley project as the city's best chance.
There's a hard date attached. Under the amended agreement, the property must be transferred to David Weekley Homes and the first improvement location permit issued by Dec. 1, 2026. If that deadline is missed, the commission can terminate the agreement and take the property back. If it's met, the commission will record a release giving up that right.
Not everyone is cheering. Asked whether neighbors had been told about design tweaks, Baumgartner said the changes went through the Nickel Plate Review Committee's public meetings, with notice signs posted. She acknowledged that some neighbors still wish the city would turn the land into a park.
The meeting coverage didn't include prices for the homes or a construction schedule beyond the Dec. 1 permit deadline.
Why it matters for Contractors
Sixty-two for-sale homes in the Nickel Plate District is a meaningful job in a busy part of Hamilton County, and the Dec. 1 deadline means things should start moving soon. With $5.6 million in site work estimated, excavation, grading, utility and sewer contractors are first in line, followed by foundation crews, framers, roofers, siding and window installers, and the full lineup of MEP and finish trades for 54 three-story townhomes and eight houses. David Weekley Homes is a national home builder, so subs who want a piece of Maple Del should reach out to the builder now. And after changes going back to around 2018, getting the first permit issued by Dec. 1 is the milestone to watch.