Whitestown’s Town Council voted 5–0 on Nov. 12 to adopt Ordinance 2025-25, which adds two new zoning districts to the town’s Unified Development Ordinance to house municipal and parks-related public uses.

Town staff presented the ordinance at the meeting’s second reading and said the new Institutional and Parks & Recreation districts are intended to separate many governmental uses from residential zoning. Todd (town staff) said the ordinance itself creates the districts but does not alter statutory process: any rezoning would still require notice, a public hearing before the Plan Commission and a legislative action by the council.

The change is intended to reduce the range of permitted uses in residential zones and to establish clearer standards for public facilities. Todd explained, “Once the zoning is in place that says those uses are acceptable on a piece of property, a development plan gets submitted for said fire station” and the Plan Commission and council would follow the statutory process for review and legislative action.

During extended discussion, councilmembers raised concerns about whether the new districts could create the appearance of limited public influence if projects still effectively come to the council for final approval. One councilmember said they feared creating “an illusory voice” for the public if the planning process did not offer meaningful opportunities to influence final outcomes. Staff and other members emphasized the distinction between permitted uses in a zoning district and the separate development review process and noted that the council retains final authority.

Residents also addressed the council during public comment. Ken Kingshill urged clearer agenda and ordinance language and asked whether the amendment would supersede conflicting UDO provisions; staff said recent UDO updates contain relevant definitions and that the town will correct online materials. Kingshill also suggested treating minor impact utilities as special exceptions to require a public hearing; staff and council discussed the trade-offs, noting that reclassifying minor utilities could require special-exception hearings for routine distribution upgrades.

The council moved to adopt the ordinance and approved it by voice vote, 5–0. The ordinance’s adoption is effective per the town’s normal ordinance process; staff said subsequent steps will include updating online code and bringing follow-on amendments to remove now-duplicative permissions from other districts.

What’s next: staff will proceed with any required follow-up code edits and maintain Plan Commission and public-notice steps on any property-specific rezonings tied to the new districts.