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Ohio-based residential builder Epcon Communities has submitted plans to the town of Zionsville for a 362-home development for empty-nesters on the community’s west side.
The Courtyards of Heritage Trail is planned on 180 acres at the intersection of Whitestown Road and South County Road 800 East. About 26 acres would be provided to the town for a public park and/or sports-related activities, according to documents submitted to the town.
Site development would consist of three phases of about 120 houses each with total buildout taking about a decade. Each phase would have its own amenity area, including a swimming pool and a clubhouse.
There would be a 10-foot-wide multiuse path along Whitestown Road and South C.R. 800 East that would connect to internal sidewalks and the Big 4 Rail Trail along East C.R. 400 South.
The project was on the agenda for Wednesday night’s Zionsville Plan Commission meeting, but the development’s hearing was tabled until the Plan Commission’s meeting on July 21. Epcon is seeking to rezone the property to The Courtyards of Heritage Trail Planned Unit development.
Michael Andreoli, of the Zionsville-based Andreoli Law Office, told commission members that Epcon has had “a substantial amount of outreach with property owners in the area” and that the homebuilder is working on modifications to the development plan. The proposed project site is across South C.R. 800 East from the Hampshire neighborhood.
The Courtyards of Heritage Trail would be Epcon’s eighth and largest Courtyard community in the metropolitan area as the company develops its brand in central Indiana. Currently, Epcon has built or is developing The Courtyards of Russell Oaks in Zionsville; The Courtyards of Westfield, The Courtyards of Towne Run and The Courtyards of Cielo Run in Westfield; The Courtyards of Carmel; The Courtyards of Hazel Dell in Noblesville; and The Courtyards of Fishers.
The communities offer ranch-style houses with open floor plans ranging from about 1,500 to 4,000 square feet, individual private courtyards and two-car garages. Amenities in each neighborhood include a clubhouse, swimming pool, fitness center, pickleball courts, walking trails and community gardens. Yard maintenance is managed by a homeowners’ association.
Epcon, founded in 1986 by Ed Bacome and Phil Fankhauser, has focused on the 55-plus demographic from the beginning. The company found an initial niche by building two- and three-bedroom ranch condominiums. Indiana Regional President Robyn Crawford told IBJ last year that it was after the housing downturn in the late 2000s that the company started to put a focus on courtyard communities—a concept and design Epcon has copyrighted.
Epcon, headquartered in the Columbus, Ohio suburb of Dublin, opened a regional corporate office and design center in 2021 at 11555 N. Meridian St. in Carmel. The company began selling lots at its first community in Carmel in September 2021, followed by the 120-lot Courtyards of Westfield the following month.
In 2023, The Courtyards of Fishers opened with 50 lots, and Epcon last year began selling lots in Zionsville at The Courtyards of Russell Oaks, which will have 140 houses. The 40-lot Courtyards of Towne Run opened earlier this year adjacent to The Courtyards of Westfield.
The Courtyards of Hazel Dell will have 111 houses, while The Courtyards of Cielo Ranch will have 80 lots.
Home prices in Epcon’s Courtyard communities typically range from $450,000 to $1 million.
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