A gas station is being proposed at the edge of our neighborhood. We're saying no.
A developer has filed a petition (Docket #2026-25-DP) to build a Friendly Market Convenience Store and Gas Station at 3805 Marketplace Drive — a vacant lot directly adjacent to Holliday Farms in Zionsville, Indiana. The proposal calls for a 5,712 sq. ft. convenience store with a fueling canopy and 16 fuel pumps, sitting just steps from homes, children, and the open green spaces our community was built around.
What's at stake
Research shows that benzene — a known human carcinogen with no known safe level of exposure — disperses up to 300 meters from active fueling stations. Our children play, walk, and go to school within that radius. The proposed site drains into Holliday Farms' own storm infrastructure, putting our groundwater and the golf course's irrigation systems at risk. The canopy lighting would push light pollution into our backyards with no meaningful buffer.
This development doesn't belong here. And our own town's Comprehensive Plan agrees — calling for "tasteful, non-strip" commercial development and low-traffic uses buffered from residential neighborhoods.
We've found the arguments. We've done the research. Now we need the firepower to back it up.
What we've already done
This community has shown up. More than 100 neighbors packed the June 15 Plan Commission hearing — standing room only. We've submitted 290+ pages of formal opposition letters. More than 60 yard signs are up across the neighborhood. The developer received a 30-day procedural continuance, and the next hearing is July 20, 2026.
Where your money goes
where exactly does this money go? You deserve a straight answer, so here's the full picture.
Real money has already gone into building the case against the Friendly Market gas station — much of it fronted to get us this far:
- Flyers — over $500. We've designed and printed 400 flyers and gotten them into neighbors' hands across the community.
- Yard signs — about $2,000. The 160 signs you're seeing on lawns throughout Holliday Farms covered design and materials.
- Website, hosting & email system — over $1,500. stopgasstationathollidayfarms.com, where it's hosted, and the tools we use to keep everyone informed.
That's roughly $4,000 already invested in organizing, awareness, and keeping this community connected.
Here's where your donations come in. To fight this proposal with real expertise — not just passion — we've brought on the professional help this case demands:
- Two expert consultants — at least $6,000-$8,000. One is a land-use consultant who has successfully stopped five proposed gas stations in other municipalities. The other is an environmental consulting firm analyzing the Eagle Creek watershed, the water source this development sits near.
- A land-use attorney — an estimated $8,000–$12,000. Our biggest hurdle is still ahead: the July 20 Plan Commission hearing. To give us the strongest possible standing in that room, we need real legal representation.
Every dollar raised goes directly toward those professional services. No salaries. No overhead. Just experts working to protect Holliday Farms.
If we win early, the remaining funds go to charity
If we successfully stop this development before all funds are used, every remaining dollar will be donated to a Zionsville-area charity — chosen by the community. We're not here to profit. We're here to protect our neighborhood.
This is our community. Help us defend it.
We're not against responsible, community-appropriate development. We're against a fueling station with 16 pumps placed within feet of homes where families are raising their children. The Plan Commission will decide whether this project moves forward. With your support, they'll hear from us with credible, expert-backed opposition — not just passion, but proof.
Please consider contributing. And if you can't give, share this page with every neighbor, friend, and Zionsville community member you know.
Together, we stop this.
— Organized by Residents of Holliday Farms, Zionsville, Indiana Not affiliated with any HOA, developer, or municipality.