John Tuohy

john.tuohy@indystar.com

Fishers is planning a 70-acre public park and beach at tony Geist Reservoir, a sandy sanctuary offering paddle board and kayak rentals, a biking trail, volleyball and a natural habitat for bird watching.

Tentatively called the Cove, the park would be the only spot open to the public on the 3-square mile man-made lake that is surrounded by expensive houses and marinas and is home to celebrities, professional athletes and business titans.

“There is not a single place a person in Fishers can enjoy a public space on the lake, one of our great assets,” Mayor Scott Fadness said. “You can stand on the bridge and watch the boats — but unless you own one or know someone who does, you can’t enjoy the water.”

The park would be east of Olio Road near 113th Street, where a concrete company now sits but is closing shop in the summer of 2018. The city is preparing a $9 million offer for the land to the property owner, Marina Limited Partnership. If Marina does not agree to sell, Fishers is ready to purchase it through eminent domain.

“We can condemn the property if it’s for the public good,” Fadness said. ”We don’t want to see more development going in there.”

Fadness said the reservoir, which straddles Marion, Hamilton and Hancock counties, is an underused resource for families in Fishers. The city envisions the park as a waterside port for cardio competitions, hosting tria-athalons and obstacle course races. It could include a fishing pier, a small marina and a look-out tower.

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“A small Boulder, Colorado, in Fishers,” Fadness said.

The park would be about the size of Broad Ripple Park in Indianapolis and twice the size of Fisher’s biggest park, Holland Park. The location is in the northeast corner of the reservoir where the water is shallow and the boats from a nearby marina must proceed slowly in a “no wake” zone.

Fishers annexed that section of Geist after a bitter fight in 2008. But the sprawling reservoir also touches corners of Indianapolis, McCordsvile and Lawrence and has been home to athletes like Indiana Pacers Reggie Miller, Paul George and George Hill and former Gov. Mitch Mitch Daniels.

Built in 1943 to provide drinking water to Indianapolis, the land around the lake was desolate until the early 1980's when the Indianapolis Water Company began a real estate development program. Allen Rosenberg’s Marina Limited owned most of the land and soon developed it into million dollar waterfront homes and subdivisions, with names like Admiral’s Bay and Shorewalk, as well as boat slips, marinas and docks.

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Marina Limited owns the land at the proposed park and leases it to concrete maker Irving Materials, Inc., (IMI) which has an office and equipment barn on the land and a 300-foot quarry on the west side of Olio Road. But IMI is moving, and Fadness said he thinks Rosenberg would consider building a park rather than more homes.

“He seems open to the concept more than I thought he would be,” Fadness said of a recent discussion with Rosenberg. “I think it would be a good chance to leave a legacy.”

Rosenberg could not be reached for comment, but Councilman Pete Peterson also said he thinks the land baron might agree to a sale.

“He’s made a lot of money so maybe this is something that can leave a mark,” said Peterson, whose district includes Geist. “Maybe they can name the park after him. Plus he gets $9 million on top of it.”

Peterson said he thinks Geist residents closest to the proposed park, in a neighborhood called Canal Place, would back the plan.

“Right now their view is crap, a cement company,” he said. “They would welcome something with a passive use and not a development that would just add traffic to the area. I should know, I used to live there.”

Peterson said he has favored a park for years. The only other place open to the public is Geist Park, a small area on the fringe of the reservoir.

Deputy Mayor Leah McGrath said residents in Central Indiana are apparently enthusiastic beach-goers. A small man-made beach at the Saxony subdivision at 146th Street near Olio Road drew 30,000 visitors last year.

"I was very surprised when I saw the numbers," McGrath said. "But I think it shows this will be used."

Call IndyStar reporter John Tuohy at 317 444-6418. Follow on Twitter,Facebook and Instagram.