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HomeMy WebLinkAboutProject Narrative Page | 1 Conner Prairie Site Master Plan - PUD Ordinance Explanation Conner Prairie is a unique historic place that inspires curiosity and fosters learning by providing engaging and individualized experiences for everyone. The seeds that grew to be Conner Prairie were planted by Eli Lilly in 1934 when he acquired the William Conner home and began its restoration. Over the next 30 years, he and his wife Ruth restored the home, created farms on the land, brought in additional buildings, and opened them occasionally for visitors. In 1964, Mr. Lilly transferred the property to Earlham College. By 1966 there were 12 regular volunteer guides giving tours of the property and farms operated on both sides of the river. Conner Prairie has been pioneering the museum experience for nearly a half century. Since 1974, when the village that became Prairietown opened to daily visitors, Conner Prairie has been a destination where people can experience history in a way that books cannot teach, as founder Eli Lilly envisioned. During the 1980’s and 1990’s, many of the Conner Prairie’s iconic programs and partnerships were created that still serve the community, such as Symphony on the Prairie, Hearthside Suppers, Headless Horseman Festival, and the Apple Store. Over the decades, programming, interpretation, and exhibits have expanded and attendance has nearly quadrupled. Conner Prairie has gained a national reputation as a nationally recognized and award-winning museum whose approach to visitor engagement, education, and adherence to best practices has set the bar for the museum profession. In 1977 Conner Prairie was first accredited by the American Alliance of Museums (AAM) and has since been reaccredited four times (fewer than 4% of all museums are accredited by AAM). As a Smithsonian Affiliate, Conner Prairie has proven its ability to skillfully combine history and STEM in our natural environment to serve nearly every 4th grade student in Indiana, and life- long learners from all fifty states. The opening of two Smithsonian exhibits (Spark!Lab and Habitat) this summer demonstrates how closely the Smithsonian and Conner Prairie work to inspire innovation and invention and educate about the environment. Since becoming independent of Earlham College in 2006, Conner Prairie has established a profile of growth and achievement while maintaining a balanced budget each year. Over the past 16 years, Conner Prairie has proved itself as an organization that skillfully combines history and hands-on learning in a natural environment. We honor Eli Lilly’s generous legacy by responsibly stewarding the land, river, farm, and assets that he so generously left us. Today, Conner Prairie is one of the largest attractions in the region and one of the most visited outdoor museums and experiential sites in the country. As the world changes around them, museums around the country are faced with the critical question of how to reengage younger generations to remain relevant, interesting, and even critical in our cultural and educational landscape. While Conner Prairie has made significant strides in offering robust programming and opportunities for experiential learning, the challenge is to continue to adapt to the way that people learn, receive information, and select how to spend their precious free time. Conner Prairie is centrally located in an increasingly urbanized area just outside of the City of Indianapolis within one of the fastest growing counties in the state. This fact and the developments Page | 2 occurring around Conner Prairie’s is the primary reason the organization created a site master plan. Conner Prairie is uniquely positioned regionally as one of the largest remaining private landowners along the White River. In 2017, the Conner Prairie Board of Directors commissioned a comprehensive site master plan to study the currently programmed areas of Conner Prairie, and for the first time ever, to comprehensively study the long-term potential of Conner Prairie’s 1,046-acres of land and 3.3 miles of the White River running between it. Completed in May 2018, the new Site Master Plan (SMP) is guiding Conner Prairie’s development of the land and river for the next 25 years. The Conner Prairie SMP included a vision and organizing themes that initially directed the development of a series of 25 projects to serve as a roadmap for future studies and implementation. The vision for creating this master plan focused on Conner Prairie as a preeminent interactive history museum embracing the White River as a resource for its future success and growth. Conner Prairie’s 2018 SMP is organized around four project categories that initially identified 25 individual projects that creates an overall planning framework for future development. These projects include infrastructure in advance of future transformational projects, those that are experiential and programmatic, and others that will address our outward brand and image to the community. The four project categories are: 1) Advancement projects will address infrastructure like traffic ingress and egress off Allisonville and eventually River Road, improve and expand parking, storm water drainage, and create wetlands to help with flood plain drainage while educating about the Prairie, farmland, and river education and ecology. 2) Branding and image projects will change our gateway and entry sequence, address long-term traffic flow improvements, make improvements to the edges of our property along Allisonville Road, 146th Street and River Road, and address external and internal wayfinding. 3) Experiential and programmatic projects will repurpose and improve our current Welcome Center as a true Museum Experience Center; improve and expand current experience areas (Prairietown, Lenape Village, Civil War Journey, Balloon Voyage, Treetop Outpost, and more); improvements for expanded summer camp programs with a larger and renovated buildings that serves camp programs, resident teacher program, and other applied learning activities like Preschool on the Prairie; activate the Oxbow for extended trails, environmental and river education opportunities, and Prairie and Lenape learning experiences; and preserve the south woods as a natural sanctuary with the potential for a nature center. 4) These projects all lead to transformational projects that include the Food, Farm, and Energy Experiences (FFEE) and the White River Education and Ecology Center (WREEC). Hospitality and innovation areas will include Farm to Table dining, shopping, innovation center, and boutique lodging. The White River Education and Ecology Center will be connected to outdoor river excursions, wetlands, and trails that will connect program areas on both the east and west side of our property and allow guests to truly learn and engage with the White River. Page | 3 The next 25 years will present many opportunities for museums to redefine themselves to remain relevant and be successful in a vastly changing world. Museums like Conner Prairie will need to adapt and reimagine how they engage visitors. To remain sustainable, museums must generate more earned income through dynamic and user centric programming models. Conner Prairie is now pioneering the museum experience of the future. We see Conner Prairie as a preeminent outdoor history museum and place for experiences that will fully embrace the White River as a resource for its future success and growth. We want to better utilize and steward our segment of land and river in Hamilton County while integrating it more fully with the surrounding areas. Our 25-year site master plan looks to engage, connect, enhance, and sustain these resources while delivering newly inspired guest experiences that will engage over 1,000 acres of land and revitalize the 3.3 miles of the White River flowing through our property. The 2018 Site Master Plan was the culmination of nearly a year of collaboration between Conner Prairie leadership, the Site Master Plan Task Group, the Conner Prairie Board of Directors, and over 67 external stakeholders. Throughout this process, over 225 people were engaged. In 2021, the Site Master Plan was at a stage where it could define themes and identify a series of projects that will embark our community on a new experience in Hamilton County and specifically on the westside of our property in Carmel. The Conner Prairie Site Master Plan has identified several opportunities for enhanced connectivity and strengthened engagement with a focus on sustainability. The opportunities are divided into three distinct areas: • Food, Farm, and Energy Experience District • Land, Water, and Energy Innovation District • Hospitality District Within these districts, we have identified several projects that support our mission. Improve Community Infrastructure • Wetland and Storm Water Management Improvements – Wetlands are classified as an Advancement Project within the Conner Prairie Site Master Plan. The use of constructed wetlands could provide an opportunity to incorporate scenic boardwalks and educational components to the Conner Prairie experience. Furthermore, this project compliments the White River story by telling a riparian edge and wetland story. The story can be told as part of public education and activated as a source of recreation with connections to trails. Constructed wetlands on the east and west side of the property will provide multi-faceted benefits that tie together and reinforce the long-term goals of Conner Prairie. The wetlands could be used to provide the detention storage and water quality features required for redevelopment, serve as an opportunity for public education, be a source of recreation, and offer improvements to local wildlife habitat. Wetlands could be built and funded as part of a partnership with various entities which could help defray the cost of construction. Page | 4 • Enhanced and Expanded Trail Network – By partnering with Carmel-Clay Parks, public trails will allow Carmel residents to engage with the beauty of the White River while connecting to the White River Education and Ecology Center and a network of private trails within Conner Prairie. Trails that connect east to west across the White River at the northern portion of Conner Prairie’s property and run throughout the campus, will open a world of possibilities for enhancement of Conner Prairie’s mission, opening acreage for programming and development. A complementary project to the private trails would be the completion of planned public trails along Allisonville Road in Fishers and River Road in Carmel as part of ongoing road projects. This project could be enhanced by the completion of a bridge that connects the cities of Fishers and Carmel via Conner Prairie’s land on both sides. Expand Conner Prairie’s Unique Experience Offerings • The Food, Farm, and Energy Experience (FFEE)- This transformational idea is centered around the legacy of Eli Lilly’s experimental farming in the 20th century to explain 21st century food production, farming, and energy production in the 21st century. Agriculture at Conner Prairie is about more than providing our guests with knowledge of our animals and farming, it’s about empowering them and deepening their understanding of how they can make a difference in animal care, food production, and sustainability. The Food, Farm, and Energy Experience (FFEE) at Conner Prairie will showcase innovation in agriculture and inspire everyone to pursue solutions to feed and power the world. FFEE will present engaging and interactive experiences in four major subjects, centered around the food we eat - energy, environment, innovation, and global connections. These subjects will be presented in four experience zones concerning Arrival, Mr. Lilly’s Farm, Modern Farming/Food Production, and Celebration of Food accomplished by: o Connecting people to their food, through the dedication and expertise of the people who grow it and produce it. o Facilitating the conversation around the challenges we face utilizing a fact-based, objective methodology. o Building confidence in agriculture as a constantly evolving industry that strives to produce healthy food using sustainable methods. o Communicating that agriculture is at the crossroads of the two largest challenges we face feeding a growing population and climate change. • Expand Conner Prairie’s Rare and Heritage Breeds Program – The existing Conner Prairie Rare and Heritage Breeds Program will be expanded to compare modern and heritage breeds to educate about the history and science behind modern livestock. Conner Prairie is an active member of The Livestock Conservancy, which is the leading organization working to stop the extinction of rare breeds in the United States – ensuring the future of our agricultural food system. Since traditional, historic breeds retain essential attributes and genetics necessary for agriculture to adapt to an unknown future and unknown needs, conserving them and educating the public is crucial for our nation’s food security. This would be part of the FFEE field and farm Page | 5 tours and integrated with celebration of food area that compliments the Farm to Table Restaurant. • FFEE Research Development - The Food, Farm and Energy Experience footprint will allow an opportunity for multiple partnerships offering funding, programming assistance, and collaboration on research for application sites for agricultural innovations (crops, livestock, land and water management, and technology). Mr. Lilly’s Farm is the core of the agriculturally based attractions on the West Side of the White River. The significance of Eli Lilly’s 20th century experimental livestock farm is paramount to the creation of this new 21st century experience area of Conner Prairie. Support Sustainability Education & Innovation • White River Education and Ecology Center (WREEC) – The WREEC is a unique opportunity within the region to create a partnership with the State of Indiana, neighboring municipalities, philanthropic and higher education communities to bring a regional River-Based Education Center to Conner Prairie. The WREEC will be the anchor for the Hamilton County South River District, which will serve as an innovation, education, recreation, tourism, and economic development hub of local, regional, and national significance. This project could be a signature piece of the long-term planning for investments along the White River in Central Indiana. o The WREEC will have classrooms to provide environmental education programming focused on the river and its history to students and visitors while bringing together partners united in identifying and teaching best practices and innovations in land and water conservation. o The WREEC will actively involve guests in the White River through interactive exhibits, river- side walking trails, and boating and fishing excursions onto the river. Some examples of these could include:  A White River Digital Aquarium could immerse visitors in the underwater environment of the White River and use touch technology to empower participants to navigate the regions rich ecosystem.  A Citizen Science Classroom would have all the equipment, tools, and instruments needed by every citizen scientist to observe and learn from nature.  A White River Inactive History Experience where every pull of the oars takes visitors further back in time to see how the White River has changed over the centuries. • Land, Water, and Energy Innovation Center – The Land, Water, and Energy Innovation Center (LWEIC) at Conner Prairie is a transformational opportunity to attract businesses, educational institutions, agencies, and non-profits focusing on developing next practices and innovations in the sustainable management and environmentally wise use of land, water, and energy – all key elements to increasing agricultural production while improving water locally and throughout the world. Page | 6 Innovation districts are growing in popularity nationally and are physically compact, accessible, and technologically wired and offer a diversity of uses within a district. The model devised for Conner Prairie is called an urbanized science park model. Science Park innovation districts are commonly found in suburban and exurban areas, where traditionally isolated, sprawling areas of innovation are urbanizing through increased density and an infusion of new activities (including retail and lodging) that are mixed instead of separate. • Conference Center – As a part of the Land, Water and Energy Innovation Center (LWEIC), Conner Prairie will support the education and business needs of on-site partners and others to provide a unique conference space along the White River. Though connected to the LWEIC, functionally it will be independent. This project will complement planned environmental and programmatic improvements to this area. • Expansion Opportunities – The revised Site Master Plan has additional outlots on the campus to support other light commercial and retail opportunities on the site. While some of these outlots will be used to support café or brunch tenants, we also see opportunities to support retail components like a bicycle shop or small market that would be a destination or stop along the bike paths and trails. These buildings would be done through partnerships with restauranteurs and other local business owners. Improved Hospitality Opportunities • Farm to Table Restaurant(s) - Bringing a Farm to Table Restaurant and complimentary food choices to Conner Prairie will provide contextually appropriate, income-generating, and complementary experiences to the west side of the White River. Market research and stakeholder interviews have shown that there is demand today for a unique, casual fine dining attraction near the White River on Conner Prairie’s property. The dining facility could be as small as 5,000 square feet, for an intimate appeal, or larger to serve big groups in a cafeteria-style setting, ranging from 8,000 to 20,000 square feet or more. This project would accommodate a full-service farm to table restaurant, providing a complementary experience to what Conner Prairie offers from an active programmed perspective and a neighborhood and regional destination for unique, casual fine dining. This facility is envisioned as a true “farm to fork experience, meaning most of the food served at the restaurant will be produced on site at Conner Prairie. • Lodging – Unique lodging opportunities will further support the innovation, economic development, and tourism on the westside. A boutique hotel and lodging that includes modern cabins, themed restaurant, and meeting space overlooking the river will serve as an inspiring location to host conferences, especially centered on environmental sustainability, stewardship, and workforce development. Planning has sought national destination development exports expertise to devise an impact investment strategy. Lodging would need to be unique and complementary to Conner Prairie’s property with a mix of traditional lodging in the form of a boutique hotel, lodge, or innovative lodging in the form of cabins or treehouses. There is potential to build some of the cabins or treehouses in the 100-year floodplain if they are elevated two feet above the base flood elevation. Page | 7 • Café and other hospitality functions – The revised Site Master Plan has additional outlots on the campus to support other light commercial and retail opportunities on the campus. We anticipate that some of the additional outlots will be used to support café, coffee, or brunch tenants as either a mixed-use or stand-alone building. It is not envisioned to have anything that would support a drive-thru experience. These buildings would be done through partnerships with restauranteurs and other local business owners.