In Hamilton County home site, life will be a beach, boats, dining
October 19, 2011 - Indianapolis Star
By: Betsy Reason
Imagine being able to play at the beach, rent paddleboats and dine on the waterfront, all within walking or biking distance of where you live and work.
That's the vision from the planners of Saxony, the mixed-use development that straddles the Fishers-Noblesville line near I-69. They're hoping a new Lake District will become a hub for outdoor activity.
A 20-acre lake has already been built. A one-mile paved running path alongside the lake was just finished. A public beach with a roped-off swimming area, and boating and picnic areas, are expected to arrive by next summer.
"The plans look awesome. I think once it's fully developed, it's going to be great," said Stacey Williams Tyson, 41, Fishers. She and her husband, Geoff Tyson, and her daughter, Khilee Williams-Breedlove, 23, and granddaughter Makaylah Breedlove, 15 months, share a three-story townhouse.
Their home overlooks the lake at The District at Saxony, a 269-unit apartment community.
Saxony is a 750-acre $1.5 billion development that spans both sides of I-69 and Exit 10 in Hamilton County, in both Fishers and Noblesville. About 300 acres wrap around Hamilton Town Center, an outdoor mall that's in the middle of Saxony corporate campus; and about 450 acres are in Fishers. The community offers a mix of residential housing, parks, retail, office space, dining, entertainment, lodging, medical and educational facilities and more.
"It's just nice out here. We feel safe," Stacey Tyson said.
The family loves the feeling of community.
Stacey Tyson runs the path along the lake. Her daughter walks to Makaylah's day care at The Play School at Saxony Village. They all stroll to the Saxony Farmers Market on Saturdays. They shop, eat and see movies in nearby Hamilton Town Center, an outdoor mall that Saxony wraps around. When Makaylah is old enough, she'll take dance classes at Michele's Studio, a performing arts studio that recently opened in the 36,000-square-foot mixed-use Bonn Building at Saxony.
They feel comfort knowing that three medical centers are within a few minutes' drive. "It's reassuring to know that if anything happened, we can rush somewhere and get help," said Williams-Breedlove, a fifth-grade teacher at Harrison Hill School of Inquiry and the Arts in Lawrence.
The family looks forward to a time when there will be even more amenities in Saxony.
"A coffee shop would be nice," Tyson said.
"A breakfast spot," her daughter chimed in.
How about a grocery store? "That would be great," they agreed.
The developer promises there will be a grocery store in Saxony. Rick Arnos, president of Republic Development, said a big selling point of the community is the convenience for people who live there.
There will be more retail, more restaurants, more educational components that come, Arnos said.
But right now he's most excited about The Lake District. "There will likely be people walking, rollerblading, hanging out having fun," he said.
He envisions the lake as the heart of the community, with canoes, rowboats, paddleboats and a beach, and "people could actually wade in the water." Arnos said, "This is a spot where people will be able to come and partake of these activities. "
The Lake District will be open to anyone, Arnos said. "We're formulating our plan, whether it will be a private or a public beach." The beach will be about 400 feet long, encompassing about three-fourths of an acre. "I think this will be something incredibly exciting for Fishers and for the people who live in this area."
Amanda Stevenson, 32, Fishers, is assistant manager of The District at Saxony, and she also lives there. She likes the neighborhood feel and said the lake behind the complex is a bonus. Lake District artist renderings in the apartment's clubhouse depict a lively place that's lusciously landscaped and bustling with boaters and beach-goers.
Dr. Risheet Patel, 31, Fishers, likes the convenience of living and working in Saxony. "Being able to drive to work in two minutes is great," said the physician at Olio Road Family Care, who lives in Traditions at Saxony, a single-family-home community. He goes home at lunch and lets out his black Labrador retriever, Hugo, and he goes into the office some evenings and weekends. "Being close makes that so much more convenient."
When the 1997 Hamilton Southeastern High School grad joined the medical practice in 2007, he researched nearby neighborhoods but liked Saxony best. "For me, it was the best combination of features in a neighborhood, price and value of the house, and proximity to work," said Patel, who moved to a neighborhood there in 2008.
Patel looks forward to the new Lake District. "All of the current residents, including me, have been waiting for more retail, restaurants and activities in our neighborhood. It will be a nice place to allow the neighbors to enjoy each others' company."
Call Star reporter Betsy Reason at (317) 444-6049.
