Canary Airfield Park | Protect Winterfield & Heritage

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Every signature and email shows Mayor Steve Barnett, Parks Superintendent Chip Orner, the Franklin Park Board, and the Canary Estate that our community stands united for Canary Airfield Park.

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Presented to the Franklin Park Board & Common Council

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Why This Park Matters to Your Family (Optional)

I urge the City of Franklin to acquire the 92.58-acre Canary property (2385 N. Graham Rd) for Canary Airfield Park using dedicated developer Park Impact Fees ($0 new taxes).

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Pre-addressed to the Mayor, Parks Supt., Planning Director & City Engineer

To Decision-Makers:

Mayor Steve Barnett ([email protected]) Parks Supt. Chip Orner ([email protected]) Planner Joanna Tennell ([email protected]) Engineer Matt McElroy ([email protected])

Subject Line

Message (Editable)

Dear Mayor Barnett, Superintendent Orner, Ms. Tennell, Mr. McElroy, and Members of the Franklin Park Board,

As a resident of Northeast Franklin, I respectfully urge the City of Franklin to secure all or a 15-to-25-acre park and buffer portion of the Canary property at 2385 N. Graham Road (Parcel #41-08-02-041-019.000-012) to create Canary Airfield Park.

1. PRACTICAL, BUDGET-SMART NEIGHBORHOOD PARK: A memorial plaque honoring homebuilt-biplane pilot Gene Canary (1928–2024) and his son, U.S. Air Force veteran Terry Canary (1950–2026), paired with an airplane-themed playground, public restrooms, a small parking lot, and walking trails will end Northeast Franklin's park desert while leaving plenty of budget to build the playground and facilities right away.
2. FLOOD & BUFFER PROTECTION: Official PC 2022-04 engineering reports confirm 24.44 acres of western Winterfield drain west across this parcel's wetlands and Brookston clay soils. Paving it with by-right Light Industrial warehouses just 25 feet from our homes will cause severe flooding and truck congestion.
3. $0 NEW TAXES: Under Franklin's Park Impact Fee Ordinance, Winterfield (320 lots) and Heritage (300+ homes) will have paid over $1.5 Million in mandatory developer Park Impact Fees ($2,490/home under Ind. Code § 36-7-4-1300) as building permits are issued—funds that are 100% legally restricted to new parkland and recreation facilities.

Please work with the Canary Estate—or require a dedicated public park and buffer in any residential rezoning—to secure this park for Franklin families.

Respectfully,
[Your Name]
[Your Neighborhood & Street Address]

Practical, Cost-Effective Neighborhood Design

The Vision: "Canary Airfield Park" & Airplane-Themed Playground

We don't need an extravagant build or mock runway—just a clean, practical neighborhood park that leaves plenty of budget to build the playground, public restrooms, and parking lot. A bronze memorial plaque on an Indiana limestone boulder and an airplane-themed playground will thoughtfully honor lifelong landowners Raymond Eugene "Gene" Canary (1928–2024) and U.S. Air Force veteran Terry Lee Canary (1950–2026).

Canary Airfield Park Practical Architectural Rendering

Practical Park Concept (~$650k–$950k Build): Features a memorial plaque boulder at the trailhead, an airplane-themed children's playground, a brick restroom & picnic shelter, a 25–40 space parking lot, and a natural stormwater pond.

Gene Canary (1928–2024)

A 1947 Alva Neal High School graduate and lifelong Franklin farmer, Gene built his own open-cockpit biplane, maintained the 2,500-ft grass airstrip (Canary's Airport, 20IN), and restored historic U.S. military artifacts for Grissom & Dover Air Force Bases.

Terry Canary (1950–2026)

A 1968 Franklin Community High School graduate and United States Air Force Veteran (1971–1974). For years, Terry also served at Camp Atterbury & Muscatatuck as the #1 Citizen on the Battlefield (COB) helping train deploying U.S. troops.

Plaque & Airplane Playground

A simple, dignified limestone boulder & bronze plaque ($4k–$8k) beside a cheerful airplane-themed neighborhood playground ($150k–$275k), a brick restroom/shelter pavilion, and a 25–40 space parking lot.

Flood & Forest Buffer

Preserves the natural wetlands along Canary Creek to capture stormwater runoff from western Winterfield while maintaining a hardwood tree buffer that boosts nearby home values by +5% to +20%.

Verified in Official City Engineering Files (PC 2022-04 & PC-24-14)

Exact Parcel & Survey Verification

We verified the exact parcel boundaries using the official ALTA/NSPS Land Title Survey and Primary/Secondary Plats filed with the City of Franklin Plan Commission. Click any map below to inspect full-screen:

3D Perspective (Looking West)

Google Earth 3D Parcel Alignment

Shows Winterfield (foreground) sharing a 1,366.87-foot western tree line with the 92.58-acre Canary Property extending west to N. Graham Road, where industrial warehouses already stand.

Official Primary Plat PC 2022-04 & Satellite Map

Official Survey Plat (PC 2022-04)

1,366.87-Ft Border & 25-Ft Buffer

Survey Sheet C100 & C107 explicitly label the neighbor behind Lots 246–262 as: "Now or Formerly Raymond Eugene & Terry Lee Canary | Instr. No. 2007-012267 | Zoning: IL" with only a 25-ft buffer.

Park Equity & Sept 2026 Precedent

Zero Public Parks in NE Franklin

Central, South, and West Franklin enjoy 6+ city parks (including the Sept 8, 2026 RDC transfer for Scott Park), while 600+ homes in Winterfield & Heritage have ZERO public parks.

What Is At Stake

By-Right Warehouses vs. Canary Airfield Park

Because the Canary tract is already zoned IL (Light Industrial), an industrial developer does not need a rezoning vote to build concrete freight warehouses 25 feet from residential fences.

If Sold to an Industrial Warehouse Developer

No Rezoning Required

800,000+ Sq. Ft. of 40-Ft Concrete Walls: Windowless tilt-up warehouses and 24/7 semi-truck docks just 25 feet behind Winterfield Lots 246–262.
Severe Backyard Flooding (24.44 Acres Drain West): Stoeppelwerth's PC 2022-04 Drainage Report proves Basins J (19.64 ac) & F (4.80 ac) drain west across the Canary tract's Wetlands D & F and Brookston clay soils. Paving 92.58 acres (CN 98) will back floodwater into residential yards.
-15% to -25% Home Equity Drop: Constant 5:00 AM OSHA reverse beepers, diesel exhaust, and 35-ft high-mast stadium glare into second-story bedrooms.

If Secured for Canary Airfield Park

$0 New Taxes

Practical Tribute to Gene & Terry Canary: A limestone boulder & bronze plaque honoring their aviation and U.S. Air Force legacy beside an airplane-themed playground, public restrooms, and parking lot.
Natural Wetland Stormwater Protection: Restored retention basins along Canary Creek absorb peak storm runoff from Basins J & F, protecting every backyard.
Permanent Hardwood Buffer (+5% to +20% Home Value): Protects 600+ homes in Winterfield & Heritage while giving Northeast Franklin its first public park.

Direct Impact on Your Biggest Investment

Your Home Value: +5% to +20% With a Park vs. -15% to -25% Next to Warehouses

Peer-reviewed real estate appraisal studies (National Recreation and Park Association / Crompton Hedonic Pricing Studies and Journal of Real Estate Finance and Economics) document a massive $70,000 to $157,500 net equity swing for a typical $350,000 Winterfield or Heritage home depending on what gets built on the Canary buffer:

If Canary Airfield Park & Buffer Are Built

+5% to +20% Home Value

+$17,500 to +$70,000 Equity Gain (on a $350,000 home)

According to Dr. John Crompton's "The Proximate Principle" (NRPA / Texas A&M University), homes within 500–1,500 feet of a passive neighborhood park with walking trails, wetlands, and a playground command a consistent +5% to +20% resale premium:

+15% to +20% (+$52,500 to +$70,000): Western perimeter lots (Lots 242–262) backing directly onto a permanent 300–500 ft passive conservation & trail buffer instead of concrete walls.
+5% to +10% (+$17,500 to +$35,000): Interior homes across Winterfield & Heritage within a 5-minute walk of the airplane playground, shelter, and walking loop.
Strengthens City Property Tax Base: Across 600+ homes (~$210M total neighborhood value), a park protects and adds +$10.5M to +$21M in assessed homeowner wealth.

If 40-Ft Warehouses Are Built 25 Ft Away

-15% to -25% Home Value

-$52,500 to -$87,500 Equity Loss (on a $350,000 home)

Industrial disamenity studies confirm that siting 40-ft tilt-up concrete logistics warehouses and 24/7 semi-truck docks immediately adjacent to single-family subdivisions inflicts immediate, permanent equity losses:

-15% to -25% (-$52,500 to -$87,500): Direct perimeter homes facing 40-ft concrete walls, 35-ft high-mast security floodlights, diesel exhaust, and 5:00 AM OSHA 97–112 dB backup alarms.
Mandatory Flood & Drainage Disclosures: Backyard flooding from blocked Basin J & F stormwater drainage forces sellers to disclose recurring water intrusion to buyers and lenders.
-$15M to -$30M Neighborhood-Wide Wealth Destruction: Even interior streets suffer a -5% to -12% appraisal drag when an entire subdivision becomes known as "the neighborhood behind the truck terminals."

Smart Municipal Strategy • Keeping Money Left Over to Build the Playground

3 Ways the City Forces Whoever Wants the Land to Establish the Park on the Buffer Portion

The City of Franklin does not need to spend its entire $1.5M+ Park Impact Fee balance buying all 92.58 acres at top-dollar industrial prices—which would leave zero money to build the playground, restrooms, or parking lot. Instead, the City has three powerful legal mechanisms to force whoever wants the Canary property (whether D.R. Horton, an industrial developer, or a conservation partner) to dedicate or sell the 15–25 acre eastern buffer strip along Winterfield, leaving $650,000 to $1,100,000+ in cash to build the park right away:

Option 1 • Best-Case Leverage $0 Land Cost

1. If D.R. Horton (or Another Homebuilder) Wants It

Because the Canary farm is zoned IL (Light Industrial), D.R. Horton or any residential builder cannot build a single house without a rezoning vote from the Franklin Plan Commission and Common Council.

Mandatory PUD Park Dedication (Ind. Code § 36-7-4-1015): As an explicit written condition of rezoning from IL to RS-2/PUD, the City requires the builder to deed the eastern 15–25 acres (300–500 ft wide) along the 1,366.87-ft Winterfield border to Franklin Parks for $0.
100% of the $1.5M+ Impact Fee Fund Stays Intact: Plus, 200+ new homes on the western acreage generate another +$500,000+ in new Park Impact Fees—leaving over $2.0M to build the airplane playground, restrooms, shelter, parking lot, and trails!

Result: Free 15–25 ac buffer land + $1.5M–$2.0M+ cash for playground & restrooms

Option 2 • Targeted Buffer Buy Leaves $750k–$1.1M+

2. Buy Only the 15–25 Acre Eastern Buffer Strip (+ 50/50 DNR Grant)

The easternmost 15–25 acres along Winterfield & Canary Ditch contain Wetlands D & F, the WOTUS stream channel, and poorly drained Brookston clay soils receiving 24.44 acres of Winterfield runoff—making that strip the hardest and most expensive part for any developer to build on.

Acquire Just the 15–25 Acre Buffer ($400k–$750k): The Canary estate can still sell the western 65–75 acres fronting N. Graham Rd while selling the eastern 15–25 acre buffer strip to the City.
Indiana DNR LWCF 50/50 Matching Grant: Cuts the City's net land cost to $200k–$375k, leaving $750,000 to $1,100,000+ in the Park Impact Fee fund to build the entire playground, restroom building, and parking lot.

Result: Permanent 300–500 ft park buffer + $750k–$1.1M+ left to build park

Option 3 • Industrial Mandate Drainage Enforcement

3. If an Industrial Developer Buys It: Enforce the 24.44-Ac Drainage Buffer

Even under existing IL zoning, an industrial developer cannot pour a single footing without Technical Review Committee (TRC) & Johnson County Drainage Board approval.

Mandatory Off-Site Runoff Bypass (PC 2022-04): The City's own approved Winterfield Drainage Report proves 24.44 acres (Basins J & F) discharge westward onto the eastern Canary tract into Wetlands D & F and Canary Ditch.
Require Eastern Stormwater & Park Buffer Dedication: The Drainage Board, RDC, and TRC can require the eastern 300–500 ft wetland/runoff corridor behind Winterfield to be dedicated as a public stormwater conservation park buffer, while using the City's $1.5M+ Park Impact Fees to build the playground, restrooms, and parking lot.

Result: Forces any industrial buyer to surrender the eastern buffer for the park

2026 Indiana Municipal Park Construction Estimates

What Does It Actually Cost to Build Canary Airfield Park? ($649k – $1.11M Turnkey)

No expensive mock runway needed—just a dignified bronze memorial plaque on an Indiana limestone boulder, an airplane-themed neighborhood playground, public restrooms & picnic shelter, a 25–40 space parking lot, and walking trails:

Available in City Impact Fee Fund

$1,500,000+

Park Component	Practical Scope & Specifications	Modest Build	Signature Build
1. Canary Memorial Plaque & Boulder	Cast bronze plaque mounted on an Indiana limestone boulder at the trailhead honoring Gene Canary (1928–2024), USAF Vet Terry Canary (1950–2026), & FAA Canary Airfield (`20IN`)	$4,000	$8,000
2. Airplane-Themed Playground	Commercial municipal play structure (central toy biplane climber, swings, slides for ages 2–5 & 5–12) + poured-in-place rubber ADA safety surfacing & benches	$150,000	$275,000
3. Public Restrooms, Shelter & Utilities	Permanent masonry/pre-cast 2-stall ADA family restroom building + covered picnic pavilion + water, sanitary sewer, & electrical hookups	$190,000	$335,000
4. 25–40 Space Asphalt Parking Lot	Paved entrance drive, 25–40 striped spaces, ADA van spaces, concrete curbs, and dark-sky LED bollard lighting	$85,000	$145,000
5. Paved Walking Loop, Pond & Tree Buffer	8-ft wide ADA asphalt perimeter trail (~0.75–1.0 mi), wetland retention grading for Basins J & F, native shade trees, & 10% engineering/permitting	$220,000	$350,000
TOTAL TURNKEY PARK & PLAYGROUND CONSTRUCTION COST		$649,000	$1,113,000

Build Canary Airfield Park—Not 40-Ft Warehouses.