Mayor Emily Styron has joined mayors from six other central Indiana cities along with commissioners from Hamilton and Madison counties to apply for Gov. Eric Holcomb’s Indiana Regional Economic Accelerations and Development Initiative (READI) planning grant. The grant is part of the governor’s initiative to promote collaboration across neighboring communities to attract, develop and retain talent in Indiana.
Zionsville joins Fishers, Anderson, Carmel, Indianapolis, Noblesville and Westfield, along with the two counties to create a region based on what unites them all: the White River. The Town of Zionsville is part of the White River watershed.
Town administration sees this as a key opportunity to join a suburban/urban coalition to partner on initiatives that will accelerate the local economy and sense of place and attract and retain talent.
“The governor is providing this once-in-a-generation opportunity to reinvest in local communities and Zionsville has a seat at the table,” said Mayor Emily Styron. “Our goal as a community is to focus on preserving our sense of place and authenticity while also attracting innovative corporate investment and workforce opportunities for our residents. We have a lot of exciting, transformational opportunities ahead of us because of this regional partnership.”
The regional group will focus on a theme of connectivity with supplemental focus areas possibly including trails; transportation; infrastructure; environmental and green economy jobs; workforce and employment centers; and water availability and quality.
The grants, announced in May 2021, can be up to $50 million per region to support projects and economic pursuits.