A message from the Brownsburg Town Council President

Over the last five years, Brownsburg has seen an explosion of development, from housing to businesses. This growth has brought new job opportunities, welcomed hundreds of new families, and generated significant investment in our community. At the same time, residents have voiced questions about how development decisions are made and what authority local government actually has in the approval process.

This month, I want to share how the Town of Brownsburg approaches development projects once they are proposed and what the Town Council and Advisory Plan Commission can and cannot do when considering these projects.

When a development project goes to the Advisory Plan Commission, whether residential, commercial, or industrial, it is the commission’s primary job to determine if the project complies with the Town of Brownsburg’s Unified Development Ordinance, or UDO. The UDO governs how land is used and developed. It establishes standards for building heights, setbacks, landscaping, stormwater management, parking, buffering, and infrastructure, among other things. Because Indiana increasingly favors standards-based approvals, the Town’s UDO is one of the most important guiding documents to shape future development.

Over the last five years, Indiana law has increasingly shifted toward faster permitting, supportive housing production, and reduced local denial authority. For example, recent legislation like HEA 1001 expands the circumstances under which administrative housing approvals may be granted if projects meet existing standards. Essentially, if a project complies with our Unified Development Ordinance and state law, there may be limited legal grounds to deny it. Denials can lead to legal challenges and potentially lengthy, costly disputes.

Those legal costs can quickly add up through attorney fees, staff time, engineering reviews, and litigation expenses, funding that could otherwise support infrastructure improvements, public safety, parks, trails, roads, utilities, and other community investments. This is one reason why it is so important for communities to establish clear standards within their UDOs and long-range planning documents before projects are proposed.

This legislation follows other recent state actions, including HEA 1005, which established faster permit review timelines and strengthened developers’ vested rights protections once applications are filed. Earlier legislation, such as SEA 361, also expanded state-supported economic development initiatives and reinforced Indiana’s broader emphasis on predictable approvals, housing growth, and readiness for large-scale development.

The real work to manage our growth happens when ordinances and planning documents are written.

As Indiana communities continue to experience significant residential and commercial growth, Brownsburg has proactively planned for the future. In 2021, the Town’s Development Services Department and Advisory Plan Commission worked to update the UDO and Future Land Use Map to ensure future development aligns with community priorities. To ensure these documents reflected community needs, public engagement efforts included a resident working group, multiple opportunities for public comment both online and in person, public open houses, and public hearings.

Another important factor in Brownsburg’s growth is that not all development affecting our community is approved by the Town itself. Decisions made by surrounding municipalities and county governments under the same evolving state laws and development standards can have significant effects on Brownsburg, even when those projects are outside Town boundaries. Because Brownsburg’s boundaries are not perfectly straight, developments with a Brownsburg mailing address may not align with Town growth strategies or contribute tax revenue to support local infrastructure and services.

This can create complex regional challenges where growth impacts are felt by Brownsburg residents even when the Town does not have direct approval authority or receive corresponding Town tax revenue from those developments. As growth across Central Indiana continues, regional coordination between municipalities, counties, schools, utilities, and infrastructure providers becomes increasingly important to ensuring long-term sustainability and quality of life.

Despite these legislative changes, Brownsburg continues to work closely with various organizations and stakeholders to manage growth responsibly. One of the concerns we hear most often is how new development will impact traffic. To help lessen the burden on taxpayers, developers contribute to area infrastructure improvements. For example, the road improvements completed along CR 400 N. in 2024 were largely funded by private development.

In addition, local governments do not necessarily dictate where businesses choose to locate their operations. Companies make those decisions based on their own market research, logistics, workforce availability, transportation access, and long-term business strategies. To ensure Brownsburg’s residential and commercial growth remains in desirable areas, we have a Future Land Use Map that serves as a land-use vision for the next decade.

Ultimately, the Town Council can’t deny every project that comes through. State legislation drives our decisions and ability to approve or deny specific projects. 

We invite residents to stay involved. There are many opportunities for public input regarding our guiding documents such as the Comprehensive Plan and UDO. All public meetings, including Town Council and Advisory Plan Commission meetings are open to the public. In addition, sign up for Town notifications for opportunities to provide input on guiding document updates. 

Ben Lacey
Town Council President