The city just hired a consultant to plan what comes next for the Fishers District. This guide covers what's in the works, what just opened and what to watch.
Fishers has grown from about 38,000 people in 2000 to roughly 106,000 today, by IBJ's count. Over the past two weeks, a model home opened at a new townhome community on the Nickel Plate Trail, and the city hired an outside firm to study what should go on the Fishers District's remaining undeveloped land.
The biggest projects are grouped below by part of town.
The Fishers District: planning the next chapter
The city's new development study
On Thursday, Oct. 29, the Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety approved a contract of up to $90,000 with Nelco Architecture, Inc. The firm is to prepare what the city calls the Fishers District Next-Generation Development Strategy.
The study looks at the remaining undeveloped land in the Fishers District. The goal is to find projects that complement what's already in the district and to recommend how the city should recruit developers and investors.
The work has five phases, totaling $84,800 in base fees:
| Phase | Fee |
|---|---|
| Discovery and development intelligence | $17,200 |
| Working session with city officials | $12,750 |
| Concept development | Up to $16,750 |
| Developer strategy session | $25,550 |
| Final recommended development strategy | Up to $12,550 |
Travel, lodging and presentation costs are billed separately. The contract doesn't set a completion date, and the public record doesn't say which parcels or how many acres are in play. Adjacent landowners, selected developers and industry experts will take part.
Why it matters: IBJ reported in July that more development could push the district's total investment past $1 billion, and that conversations with property owners and development partners are already underway. The study is meant to guide that next round.
The district's sixth phase
The study comes on top of a $169 million expansion announced June 10. Mayor Scott Fadness said that phase put total Fishers District investment "just shy of a billion dollars." It has three pieces:
- JD North America headquarters. JD Sports, the parent of Finish Line, is buying and remodeling the 350,000-square-foot Link building at 11100 USA Parkway, the former USA Funds and Navient offices. It's moving more than 400 corporate employees from Indianapolis' far east side and has pledged about 200 more jobs. Renovations start in 2027.
- Fishers Fieldhouse. A $65 million, 180,000-square-foot facility that Buckingham Companies will build and lease to the city, which is set to own it under a rent-to-own deal. It will be home base for Major League Volleyball's Indy Ignite, with a 29,000-square-foot space for the team, plus flex space for up to 10 basketball or 20 volleyball courts. Pro Net Sports plans to base an Indy Hoops Academy girls program and an AAU boys program there. Opening is targeted for late 2027 or early 2028.
- Contrast | Fishers. Buckingham's residential community on 50 acres next to the Fishers Event Center: 167 apartments and 98 townhomes, 265 homes in all. Buckingham has said it will break ground in 2026, with completion in late 2028.
Meanwhile, Thompson Thrift, the district's longtime master developer, was nearing completion of The Union at Fishers District as of July, and construction continues on The Crossing. By the city's count, the district has 40 restaurants open or committed, 1,400 multi-family homes and nearly 500 committed hotel rooms. If everything stays on schedule, the area around the Fishers Event Center will be an active construction zone into 2028.
Downtown: Nickel Row opens on the trail
Late-October coverage named both Onyx+East and Nickel Row. It's one project.
Nickel Row is Onyx+East's first development in Fishers, built with Meyer Najem. It's a community of 35 three-story brick townhomes on about 3 acres off Fishers Pointe Boulevard, directly on the Nickel Plate Trail and a short walk from the Nickel Plate District Amphitheater. Holy Family Episcopal Church, its next-door neighbor, sold the land.
The model home at 11365 Fishers Pointe Blvd. opened with a ribbon cutting on Oct. 22.
What's for sale:
- Price: Onyx+East's press materials say prices start in the mid-$500,000s. Its site lists floor plans from $579,900 and available homes up to $799,900.
- Size: About 2,190 to 2,390 square feet, with up to four bedrooms and 2.5 to 3.5 bathrooms
- Features: Attached two-car garages, open-concept layouts and energy-efficient construction. Twelve homes offer an optional private elevator.
- Timing: Two homes are move-in ready now. Others are listed for February 2027.
Onyx+East CEO Kelli Lawrence said the company hopes Nickel Row will be the first of more Onyx+East communities in Fishers.
On the trail: the connection to Indianapolis
The Nickel Plate Trail's 96th Street bridge opened in February, carrying Fishers' section across the line into Indianapolis. South of there, Indianapolis is designing a trail bridge over 82nd Street in Castleton. We broke down the designs, the timeline and where the trail gaps stand in our 82nd Street bridge explainer.
What to watch next
- The Fishers Fieldhouse. We haven't seen a groundbreaking announced yet.
- Contrast | Fishers, which Buckingham has said will break ground this year
- Results of the Nelco study. No date has been set, but expect the developer strategy session to be the phase where specific proposals start to surface.
- The rest of Nickel Row, as the remaining townhomes are built and sold
We'll keep this guide updated as projects move. If you see construction somewhere in Fishers and want to know what it is, reply to the Get Fishers newsletter and tell us.
How we reported this
We built this guide from Fishers Board of Public Works and Safety and Redevelopment Commission actions as reported by LarryInFishers, coverage of the city's June 2026 Fishers District announcement by LarryInFishers, the Hamilton County Reporter and Current, IBJ's July reporting, REjournals and Current coverage of Nickel Row's opening, and Onyx+East's own listings. All of it was checked on Nov. 3, 2026. We note the gaps in the record as we found them.
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