Robin Heldman’s house sits next to a wetland filled with wildlife, including some endangered species.
She remembers people flocking to the area that connects to Pleasant Run Creek several years ago when a rare duck migrated through Franklin Township.
“It wasn’t even from the United States, but it came during migration and we had hundreds of people lining up with their binoculars and their scopes to see it,” Heldman said. “So it’s pretty amazing.”
Heldman and other southsiders are now fighting to prevent a developer from turning a section of the land into a proposed sales, rental and repair facility for heavy trucks.
Last year, the owners of Punjab Property Inc., which operates a semi-truck repair shop, purchased about 10 acres near the Pleasant Run Creek Watershed zone for industrial use. But, the company didn’t realize that zoning classification doesn’t allow for vehicle repairs, or that the area is some of the state’s last remaining wetlands, according to Patrick Rooney, an Indiana attorney representing the company.
The company filed a petition earlier this year with the city’s zoning board to modify land regulations for the site at 8600 Combs Road.
Trying to make peace with neighbors
After receiving pushback from neighbors, Rooney said he and the property owners are revising the plan and trying to accommodate residents while also moving forward with the project.
“I’m trying to come up with a plan that the neighbors would accept, and the city,” Rooney said.
Rooney said Punjab Property Inc. intends to adjust its initial plans to include a parking lot for roughly 100 trucks and trailers, and instead preserve roughly nine acres of the property. He hopes to receive revised plans from a civil engineer within the next week, which they will present to the Franklin Township Civic League’s Land Use Committee. That will allow the company to receive community feedback before resubmitting modifications to the city’s zoning board.
The city’s hearing examiner was expected to review and provide a recommendation for the zoning petition on May 28, but Rooney said he plans to ask for a continuance, potentially pushing the hearing to June.
Even if Punjab Property Inc. agrees to use less land, Heldman and environmental advocates fear that changing the zoning commitments could open the door for more development in the future.
“People may not value it as much as I do, but if it were taken away, I think they would miss it,” Heldman said of the wetland. “And I know the area would suffer.”
How to get involved
Public comment
Submit comments through the Hoosier Environmental Council’s submission form or email the city planneroncall@indy.gov.
Metropolitan Development Commission’s hearing examiner
🗓️ 1 p.m. May 28
📍 City-County Building, 200 E Washington St.
‘We all rely on clean water’
The proposal comes nearly four years after Gershman Partners, an Indianapolis-based development firm, made plans to replace other nearby wetlands with commercial buildings and warehouses. Backlash against the developer kickstarted Wetlands Not Warehouses Franklin Township, an environmental advocacy campaign created by residents, the Franklin Township Civic League and the Hoosier Environmental Council.
Gershman Partners’ petition was ultimately denied in 2024 by the Indiana Department of Environmental Management. That’s despite former Gov. Eric Holcomb signing a law the same year that makes it easier to remove environmental protections for wetlands and approve new developments.
Wetlands, like a marshy wooded area, are created by pools of water such as rainfall or snowmelt. They support wildlife, but they also help purify groundwater and prevent flooding by naturally releasing water slowly into connecting waterways instead of flowing into nearby areas. Advocates say the wetland near Heldman’s house can hold about 225,000 cubic feet of stormwater.
The wetland and Pleasant Run Creek Watershed connects to the Upper White River Watershed, which stretches across about 16 counties. It drains water from about 27 square miles throughout a large portion of Indianapolis, including Center Township, Lawrence and Beech Grove.
Susie McGovern is a water science and sustainability specialist with the organization Hoosier Environmental Council. She said around 80% of the Pleasant Run Creek Watershed is already developed, degrading the ecosystem. McGovern said further disruption to this sensitive environment could have negative consequences for southsiders and distant neighbors.
“Everybody is living in a watershed and we all rely on clean water,” McGovern said. “I think sometimes we take that for granted, because we, most of the time, we can drink our tap water or take showers free of concern. But if we don’t protect these ecosystems that are providing these services for us to have clean water, then eventually it could have a negative impact on the health of our water resources.”
How to get involved
Residents supporting or opposing the new development can submit comments through the Hoosier Environmental Council’s submission form or email the city PlannerOnCall@Indy.gov.
The Metropolitan Development Commission’s hearing examiner is scheduled to hear the proposal at its 1 p.m. meeting May 28 at the City-County Building, 200 E. Washington St. The proposal, though, may be continued to June.
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Mirror Indy reporter Elizabeth Gabriel covers the south side of Marion County. Contact her at elizabeth.gabriel@mirrorindy.org. Follow her on X at @_elizabethgabs.
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