ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (WRTV) — ZIONSVILLE, Ind. (WISH) -- Homeowners in Zionsville are fighting back against a proposed gas station near Holliday Farms and U.S. 421.
Mann Brothers Holdings LLC has petitioned to build a Friendly Market convenience store and gas station.
Homeowners contacted Indiana’s I-Team about the proposal.
“It’s basically going to be in my backyard,” said Patrick Leone, a homeowner in Holliday Farms. “It’s going to be 150 feet from my home. Do we have to move because of this? How is the house value going to be lowered because of this? We're put into this no-win situation.”
Patrick Leone expected restaurants and breweries to be built behind his home, but not a gas station.
Homeowners are concerned about increased traffic, noise, and potential environmental impacts to the Eagle Creek watershed.
“It's really, really frustrating and it's very sad,” said Leone.
Homeowners have posted yard signs and created a website. Dozens of others have submitted hundreds of pages of letters of opposition to the Zionsville Plan Commission, including families with children who attend nearby Kiddie Academy and Interactive Academy.
One parent wrote:
This site would place two children's facilities, a retirement community, and a dense residential neighborhood all within 500 feet of a gas station — exactly the populations that peer-reviewed research identifies as most vulnerable to the health risks associated with gas station proximity. I respectfully request that the Planning Commission deny this proposal and require a full environmental health impact assessment before any further consideration is given to this site. Michael Schacht, a Holliday Farms homeowner and interventional radiologist, is concerned about the health impacts on his four children.
He points to studies that show higher risks of leukemia for kids who live near gas stations.
“It will affect the health of the community and the people around it,” said Schacht. “This is something that really scares me.”
Homeowners say they’ve tried contacting their elected officials. Leone says they've made no progress.
“We're in a lose-lose situation, and every single time we go to one of our elected officials, we get the same exact answer."
The zoning for the land does allow for gas stations, something homeowners say they were not aware of when they moved into Holliday Farms.
Mann Brothers Holdings owns and operates 20 fuel stations and convenience stores in central Indiana.
Co-owner Jesse Mann emailed a statement to Indiana’s I-Team.
We are excited about the opportunity to open a new location in the commercial and retail section of the Holliday Farms neighborhood.
Our project will meet and, in a few instances, exceed the development standards required of the applicable Holliday Farms and Town of Zionsville zoning ordinances. The proposed use and development align with the discussion and considerations of the Town Council when the Council approved the Holliday Farms PUD Ordinance in June 2018. Our local business will provide an everyday convenience to Holliday Farms residents, members, and guests, as well as citizens and visitors of the Town at large. The development will be architecturally consistent with the high-quality standard being established in the Central Mixed Use Block of the Holliday Farms community. The investment will enhance the commercial tax base of Zionsville, along the evolving US Highway 421 corridor, without placing additional burden on the schools.
We look forward to a productive review of our Development Plan petition by the Town of Zionsville Plan Commission on Monday, July 20th. Thank you for the opportunity to speak on this matter.
Indiana’s I-Team learned the Indiana Department of Environmental Management has issued several enforcement actions against Mann Brothers over the past five years.
Records show the company paid an $8,000 civil penalty in 2025 for not registering its underground storage tank with IDEM at a Tippecanoe County gas station, and for failing to comply with reporting requirements.
In 2021, IDEM issued an order against Mann Brothers after an inspection at a Greencastle gas station found spill buckets too full of fluid.
The buckets are environmental safeguards that can catch hazardous fuel drips and accidental spills.
Records show Mann Brothers Holdings resolved the issues without paying a fine.
Jesse Mann said the $8,000 penalty stemmed from a misunderstanding with a contractor.
“All of our operated sites are fully in compliance with IDEM and we have hired a 3rd party company about 2 years ago to do monthly inspections and keep record of all of our paperwork as well,” said Mann in an email to Indiana’s I-Team.
Homeowners are holding out hope the Zionsville Plan Commission votes no to the gas station.
“The developer gets to come in, put it in, make some money, and leave,” said Leone. “Meanwhile, everyone in Zionsville is left for decades with all the repercussions that this will have.”
The Zionsville Plan Commission is expected to vote on the gas station proposal 6:30 p.m. Monday at Zionsville Town Hall, Room 105.
The gas station project does not need full approval from the Zionsville Town Council.
Alexa Lingg, communications manager for the Town of Zionsville, said in an email to Indiana’s I-Team:
The Plan Commission will consider the materials submitted with the petition, the staff report, public comments, testimony presented during the public hearing, and applicable zoning and development standards before making its decision.
