Conner Prairie plans 260-acre expansion in Carmel along White River. Not everyone on board

Conner Prairie, the outdoor museum in Fishers, is planning a major western expansion in Carmel along the White River. 

The plans for the project on nearly 260 acres of now vacant property have been in the works for years. Included among them are a White River Education Center, a farming experience, a conference center, a farm-to-table restaurant, a boutique hotel and cabins, cafes and other commercial businesses and paths and walking trails. 

But the project, which could prove transformational for Conner Prairie and the mostly residential eastern side of Carmel, has to make it through the city’s Plan Commission and City Council first. The Carmel Plan Commission will hear a presentation on the project Oct. 18. 

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The request on the table from Conner Prairie is to rezone the property south of 146th Street and east of River Road to make a district that would allow the uses the museum seeks to include in its expansion. 

Conner Prairie, in the last five years, developed a site master plan and held hundreds of community conversations about the property in Carmel along the White River, partly due to Hamilton County’s increasing urban development, according to a project narrative submitted to the city. 

“Conner Prairie is uniquely positioned regionally as one of the largest remaining private landowners along the White River,” the project narrative states. 

The museum is continuing to receive community feedback on the plans for the 260 acres.

“The activation of this land for the use of the broader community represents the Museum’s commitment to providing engaging and individualized experiences for everyone," Conner Prairie President and CEO Norman Burns said in a statement.

Conner Prairie is a draw for Central Indiana, said Brenda Myers, president and CEO for Hamilton County Tourism. About 25% of Conner Prairie's out-of-the-area visitors come from outside of a 30-mile radius of the museum, according to geolocation data Myers provided.

The plans for the western expansion have been discussed over the years through development of Conner Prairie's master plan and the White River Vision Plan, Myers said.

"The vision that Conner Prairie has for this will be a game-changer for them," Myers said. "Not that they aren't already a nationally-known museum with a regional draw, but I think diversifying their product base like this and focusing on ... the ability to tell these stories in a really hands-on and immersive way, I think, will be very attractive to residents and visitors."

Carmel Mayor Jim Brainard said Conner Prairie is proposing "a really good project" that will enhance the neighborhood and provide learning opportunities for the community.

"I think that an important thing to look at is what it'll do for local school children as far as educational opportunities," Brainard said. "These are, particularly with climate change, how land and water and energy all have to work together, farming experience, these are important things that we need to make sure our children understand."

The project already has some opposition from nearby neighbors in Carmel, who are concerned the property will be a “tourist destination, a kind of rural theme park,” one neighbor said. 

“This is a step backward, it seems to me, from where we need to go,” Carmel resident Dennis Shock wrote in an email to the Carmel Plan Commission. “We need to preserve such places while we can, not do more expensive development with more buildings, roads, farming, etc.” 

The Carmel Plan Commission meets at 6 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 18, at Carmel City Hall, One Civic Square.