The town of Hebron is seeking resident input on how it should update its comprehensive plan, last adopted Aug. 17, 2010. A public gathering Wednesday night at The Design Barn, a 300-person capacity event space that has become a community hub since its opening in May 2021, served to bring people together for education and collect their input.
The modern-rustic space provided food and drinks in a relaxed atmosphere where residents could peruse a long line of informational boards that set forth a variety of options for how the town should move forward in areas ranging from branding to housing to parks and recreation. The state requires cities and towns to develop and update comprehensive plans to compete for certain grants, said Town Council President and life-long Hebron resident John Spinks, D-3rd.
“We’re literally in the middle of the largest economic boom that Hebron has ever had. At this particular point we are looking at development,” he said.
“We know we have interest by developers that past councils didn’t have the luxury of,” Spinks added. He said there’s a long list of national residential and commercial builders interested in the town, as well as industrial builders statewide. For example, development of the new Park Ridge subdivision north of Little League Park and west of State Road 231 is currently underway.
Phase I of Park Ridge, which is currently under construction, has 138 single-family lots. A future phase will have 147 lots.
“People think Hebron’s really far away, but once they get to it they realize it’s only 20 minutes away,” said Design Barn owner Michaline Tomich. “Small town is trending. There’s a really great employee pool around here.” Tomich thinks infrastructure is needed first and small businesses like hers will follow.
Community planner HWC Engineering, of Indianapolis, has been meeting with a project steering committee made up of the town’s elected leaders, business owners, and other community leaders since September. Adam Peaper, of HWC and project manager for the update, said it’s being funded by a state grant from the Office of Community & Rural Affairs.
“It should be community-driven,” Peaper said of the plan, though feasibility must always be top of mind. “We can’t implement 100 ideas.”
Jack Lipski, branch manager of the Hebron and Kouts Public Libraries, as well as a member of the Parks Board and the Chamber of Commerce, thinks the committee is on the right track. “This town, there’s something about it and I want to do as much as I can,” they said. “I just hope they can get enough people behind it.”
Indeed, the crowd present wasn’t large, given the cavernous space, but those who did attend were invested and fully engaged in answering the polling questions on the boards. Mike Justice and Frank Stalbaum, both of Hebron, were deep in conversation about the issues facing the town.
Stalbaum is particularly concerned about the speed with which Hebron is growing. “How do you get this right so it’s a right balance without growing into problems?” he asked. “When do you lose your small-town flavor? Personally, I don’t want it to grow into Lakes of the Four Seasons.”
Justice said new transplants are most interested in things to do in the town. “This is the first time anybody here has heard of asking the people of the town’s opinion,” he said. “You’ve got people like Frank who have been here since the dawn of time and the new people coming in (who) want trails.”
Betty and Jim Starkey, who have lived in town for 50 years, echoed his opinions. “Finally, somebody is actually asking the people to come and give their input on what they think is right for the town,” Betty Starkey said. “This is great. I’m very pleased to see this.”
For Jim Starkey, the efforts are a sign that everything old is new again. “The town had more to do 40 years ago than they do now,” he said of the era when he was raising children there. “‘They had a great 4th of July thing at the school.”
Laura Roeske, whose husband’s family has been farming in Hebron since the 1800s, said creating a feeling of being able to live, work, and shop in town is what she’s after. For years most people have come here to lay their heads but worked and shopped elsewhere.
“We did, at one time, have a vibrant shopping community,” she said. “It doesn’t need to be the most hip place.”
Fifty-two-year resident Carol Wallace wants a grocery store since she’s been living without one in town after Patz’s closed about eight years ago. “I know you can go to Dollar General and get milk, but not meat and a head of lettuce.”
Those wishing to learn more about the process for updating the comprehensive plan, content areas, or how to get involved can visit www.planhebron.com.
Shelley Jones is a freelance reporter for the Post-Tribune.
