About the Master Plan
Last fall, the Nickel Plate Trail Master Planning Committee, comprised of Fishers residents and community leaders, engaged the community to hear what you would like to see on the trail.
The committee’s vision: to create a whole new kind of public space, a destination not just for the community but by the community. Committee co-chairs John Weingardt (Council Member) and Amanda Welu (Resident & Co-Founder of DelvDesign) encouraged people to be bold, be original and be heard. You answered! The City received over 1,500 individual ideas through in-person meetings, pop-up open houses, think tanks, and online surveys. Ideas poured in from everyone — students, teachers, neighborhood groups, business leaders, artists, entrepreneurs and fitness enthusiasts. Thanks to all who shared your bold and original ideas.
While the trail is planned to be built in the next few years, this long-range master plan provides a framework for design and experience that can be implemented over time.
Mayor Scott Fadness ha
s called transforming the trail a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity for the city to create a world-class public amenity. It is about building a vibrant city and a place that will attract a talented workforce and encourage young families and businesses alike to choose Fishers as home. Since announcing the Nickel Plate Trail in Fishers, more than $250 Million of private investment has been announced adjacent to the trail from Hub & Spoke to First Internet Bank’s new downtown headquarters. These investments in the heart of the City’s new Art & Cultural District are important to sustaining Fishers in the long-term as a smart, vibrant and entrepreneurial city.
Master Plan Highlights
Emerging themes from community input guided the Master Plan development and include:
- A Trail for all
- Celebrating what is uniquely Fishers
- Health and wellness
- Connecting to community
- Design with nature
- A place for innovation and technology
- Safety and privacy
- History and heritage of Nickel Plate line
The Master Plan illustrates what is possible and desired for art, technology, lighting, safety and placemaking. The plan identifies future parking and shared parking opportunities and makes recommendations for a grant program for residents who live adjacent to the trail for buffering as desired.
