New Palestine has taken a significant step toward realizing its long-term vision for a centralized community hub by allocating $50,000 in Tax Increment Financing (TIF) funds to develop a comprehensive master plan. The town’s Redevelopment Commission (RDC) unanimously approved the funding during a recent meeting, marking a pivotal advancement in the project’s planning phase. This initial investment will support the creation of a detailed blueprint for the proposed town center, which is expected to guide future infrastructure, design, and economic development decisions.
Ethan Maple, RDC member and Town Council President, emphasized the importance of having a structured plan to assess logistical elements such as traffic patterns, pedestrian access, and utility needs. He noted that while the estimated total cost for the master plan is around $100,000, the town intends to phase the expenditure in alignment with project milestones. The RDC’s contribution will offset half the anticipated expense, with discussions underway to finalize a contract with Ratio, a design and planning firm under consideration.
Maple explained that using RDC funds aligns with their intended purpose: to stimulate economic growth and urban renewal. He highlighted that the commission has previously supported smaller initiatives, but this effort represents a more strategic and impactful use of resources. The master plan is expected to lay the foundation for broader improvements, including enhanced walkability and connectivity across the town.
Council member Bill Niemier expressed strong support for the initiative, particularly citing the planned addition of sidewalks along U.S. 52 as a key benefit. He noted that past funding limitations had delayed progress on pedestrian infrastructure, but this project offers an integrated solution. By positioning the town center as a focal point for commerce, recreation, and civic life, the development could catalyze further investment and community engagement.
Preliminary concepts for the site—located across from the New Palestine Lions Club—include a new municipal building equipped with offices and meeting spaces, an outdoor performance venue, retail spaces, a public park, and mixed-use residential units such as townhomes and cottages. These components aim to transform the area into a vibrant, multi-functional district.
The RDC’s decision reflects a coordinated effort between local leadership, consultants, and development partners to advance sustainable urban planning. With the funding now secured, the next phase will involve finalizing agreements with planning professionals and initiating community input sessions.
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New Palestine RDC earmarks thousand for town center master plan
NEW PALESTINE — For several years, New Palestine leaders have been making plans to create a town center. This month, the town’s Redevelopment Commission (RDC) has decided to put money where their thoughts have been, earmarking $50,000 of TIF monies to create a town center master plan. n n“In conversations the council has had with Envoy (construction company) and other parties we’ve been using for consultation, kind of one of the next steps the town needs to take is the creation of a master plan for the town center,” RDC member and Town Council President Ethan Maple said during a recent RDC meeting. n nMaple said a master plan is a must to help town officials navigate and better understand the project, its design and how it will eventually unfold. n n“It will basically help us understand logistically how things are going, looking at things like traffic flow and the other needs that are going to be in that area,” Maple said. “We have an initial quote from Ratio, a company that we’d like to enter into with, but we have not entered into an agreement with yet, but we do realize that the cost is going to be about $100,000.” n nMaple said in conversations with other council members, Envoy — who is their owner’s representative right now, as well as their legal and financial counsel — felt RDC monies would be perfect to use for the town center master plan. n n“This seems like this is exactly what RDC funds are set aside for, to help generate some of that redevelopment, economic development like sidewalks — plans to get from one end of the town to another, which is something I know we (the RDC) have been talking about,” Maple said. “All of this can happen through the generation of the Town Center.” n nMaple said the town council wanted the RDC to use some of its funds to offset the cost of the master plan for the town center, and the RDC members agreed. n nMaple asked the RDC to approve about $50,000 of the $100,000 to be used for the $100,000 master plan. n n“This $50,000 would not be spent all at once; it would be stair-stepped in as the work gets completed,” Maple said. n nFellow RDC member and council member Bill Niemier said amid the town center project, one feature they’ve wanted to complete is adding sidewalks along U.S. 52. That’s something the Town Center will bring, so he favors using RDC money to get the whole project rolling. n n“I’ve said from Day 1 the RDC should come together with the town and get money together for those sidewalks,” Niemier said. n nNiemier said the town has used RDC monies for some smaller projects so far, but there just hasn’t been enough RDC funding to do the kind of sidewalk project needed along U.S. 52, so having the money earmarked for the town center is in a roundabout way helping with eventual installation of sidewalks. n n“This is a fantastic location,” Niemier said of the town center. “Not only will the Town Center have sidewalks, the town center project as a whole will become a hub of activity.” n nPreliminary plans for the town center call for the project, which would be built on land across U.S. 52 from New Palestine Lions Club, to include a new Town Hall with conference rooms and offices; an outdoor amphitheater; shops; a community park and some housing that might include town homes and cottages. n n“The town center will be of great recreational use, so because of that I am certainly in favor of the RDC using this money as part of the cost for the master plan,” Niemier said. n nThe RDC approved the $50,000 funding by a unanimous vote. n n© 2025 Daily Reporter