Last December, McCordsville moved its tree lighting away from the front of Town Hall for the first time. On Dec. 5, 2025, families came to McCord Square at 5811 Main St. for cookies with Santa, a hot chocolate truck, a train ride, music from local school groups and photos inside an inflatable snow globe, according to the Daily Reporter's coverage of that first town-center lighting.
The second one is on the Town of McCordsville calendar for Friday, Dec. 4, at 5:30 p.m. The tree goes up in the same place this year. The decisions around it are new. In the weeks just before the lighting, the town considers a 40-acre Kroger project that bills itself as an extension of McCord Square, a parks bond for a Central Green Park that doesn't exist yet, and a restaurant lot that is under contract. The library branch on the square has moved its opening into 2027. Most of what the square becomes over the next few years is being decided this season.
What's on the square for year two
McCord Square covers 48 acres southeast of U.S. 36 and Mt. Comfort Road. It started with McCord Square Apartments in October 2024 and has filled in one building at a time since then. The Daily Reporter's April roundup listed these tenants: Leo's Market & Eatery, Libby's Ice Cream, Rita's Italian Ice and Frozen Custard, and Maple, the breakfast and brunch restaurant that came out of the Le Peep rebrand. Hancock Eye Associates, IU Health and NineStar Connect also have offices there.
The newest piece is small and easy to walk past. The Vernon Township Public Library has put up a Story Walk in McCord Square Park, and the library's McCordsville page marks it "Now Available." It's the first part of the library's McCordsville plans that people can actually use, and it sits in the same park where the tree goes up.
Hollie Kinker, McCordsville's assistant director of planning, described the square's status this spring to the Daily Reporter:
"McCord Square is already functioning as the town's emerging center, but like many mixed-use developments, it is being built out in phases. As additional commercial spaces are occupied and surrounding areas develop, it will continue to evolve into a more complete town center over the next several years."
The library branch upstairs moved to winter 2027
The Vernon Township Public Library is leasing 3,000 square feet on the second floor of NineStar Connect's new building in McCord Square. In April, library director Ashtan Bennett told the Daily Reporter that contractors were painting drywall, that flooring was coming next, and that the branch was on track for mid-summer 2026. By July, the branch was still under construction, and library story times were held outdoors at 5985 Main St.
The library's FAQ, updated Oct. 30, now says it expects the McCordsville location to open in "Winter 2027." When it opens, the library plans to offer:
- An assortment of bestsellers
- STEM kits, Yoto storybook readers, WonderBooks and other specialized collections
- A children's area
- Two study rooms for public use
- An Innovation Lab
- More programs for all ages
The Fortville library at 625 E. Broadway St. stays open with its current hours and services. Bennett told the Daily Reporter that the two locations will run together. "Patrons can pick up (library materials) at one location and return it to the other. All the policies will stay the same," she said. So this year's tree lighting happens next to a library that's built but not open, with its Story Walk already in the park.
Nov. 17 is the hearing for a Kroger that would extend the square
The biggest pending decision is on a parcel that its developers describe as part of McCord Square. The McCordsville Advisory Plan Commission is scheduled to consider a rezoning at its Nov. 17 meeting. The request would turn 40 acres at 5871 W. Ind. 234 into the McCord Square Tower planned unit development, anchored by a Kroger Marketplace, the Daily Reporter reported Oct. 22. Tower Investments has owned the land since 2006. The site is on the south side of Ind. 234, near where the road meets Ind. 67.
Macy Downey, project manager at Kroger's zoning consultant McBride Dale Clarion, told the town council, "This project will essentially act as an extension of the original McCord Square PUD." According to the filing as reported, the site would include:
| Piece of the plan | As proposed |
|---|---|
| Kroger Marketplace store | 98,868-square-foot footprint |
| Parking | 422 spaces |
| Kroger fuel station | 14 fueling positions at seven dispensers |
| Access | Traffic light on Ind. 234, plus connections from Civic and Commons drives |
| Gateway district | Eight outparcels and the gas station |
| Anchor district | The store, an 11-acre outparcel and a retention pond |
| Mixed-use district | One 1.6-acre parcel |
The access row ties the project to the square. Civic Drive and Commons Drive are the streets McCordsville wants to extend around its future park, which the next section covers. Downey said the outlots could hold retail and restaurants, and that no specific user has been identified for the larger outparcel. If the rezoning is approved, Kroger expects to open in 2028. McCordsville would be the third Hancock County town in line for a Kroger, after Greenfield and New Palestine.
Central Green Park and the next phase are both planned
The square's own next phase also needs streets and a park, and both are tied to the same roads the Kroger plan would connect to. On Sept. 14, the McCordsville Park Board unanimously approved a declaratory resolution for up to $4 million in bonds, the Daily Reporter reported. Before any bonds are sold, the board still has to pass a confirmatory resolution and the town council has to approve it.
The list of possible projects is centered on Central Green Park, which is part of the plans for a future phase of McCord Square. It includes a splash pad, a multi-season shelter, restrooms and playground facilities, plus pickleball or tennis courts and more playground equipment at Old School Park. The road work costs the most. Town manager Tim Gropp said the Civic Drive extension, from Promenade Street to Commons Drive, is needed to "define the park." Together, the Commons Drive and Civic Drive extensions would cost about $2.2 million of the roughly $3.1 million total. The town is also applying for READI 2.0 grants for the park. Gropp said that grant money would free up bond capacity for other projects.
The buildings that would face that park are also on paper so far. In July, the Daily Reporter reported that Rebar Development and Pride Investment Partners have proposed a $54 million project across Lots 1 through 5, with restaurants, retail, commercial and medical office space, and apartments. The developers wanted construction to start by the end of 2026. A stand-alone restaurant on Lot 1 and the Lot 3 site were under contract, and no restaurant tenant has been named. On Aug. 11, the town council passed a resolution ratifying plan amendments that add Phases II and III of McCord Square.
McCordsville's holiday calendar from the hearing to the bazaar
The public meetings and the holiday events overlap on the same few weeks of the calendar:
| Date | What's happening | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Tue., Nov. 17 | Plan Commission meeting | McCord Square Tower PUD and the Kroger Marketplace proposal |
| Sat., Nov. 21 | Community Thanksgiving Dinner | McCordsville United Methodist Church, 4 to 7 p.m., everyone welcome, donation optional |
| Mon., Nov. 30 | Holiday With Heroes applications due | Run through the McCordsville Police Department |
| Fri., Dec. 4 | Tree Lighting Celebration | 5:30 p.m., second year at McCord Square |
| Sat., Dec. 5 | 2026 Holiday With Heroes | 8 a.m., selected children must attend |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Pictures with Santa | 8 a.m., on the Town calendar |
| Sat., Dec. 12 | Holiday Bazaar and Cookie Walk | McCordsville UMC, 6247 W. Broadway, 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., free |
| Tue., Dec. 15 | Plan Commission meeting | 6 p.m. |
Families signing up for Holiday With Heroes can find the application details on the McCordsville Police Department notice. The church's Holiday Bazaar page lists vendors, homemade treats and the Cookie Walk. Its Thanksgiving dinner listing is on the church's events page. Saturday, Dec. 12 has two morning events, Santa photos at 8 a.m. and the bazaar opening at 10 a.m. Town Hall is closed Dec. 24 for Christmas.
On Dec. 4, the tree will light up next to a library set to open in 2027 and a park that is still waiting on bond approval and road extensions. The Kroger plan, which would connect to the square's streets, goes to the Plan Commission two and a half weeks earlier.
The Spillman Group follows how McCord Square is changing, from the restaurant lot to the Kroger hearing to the Central Green Park plans. If you want to talk through what those changes mean for your corner of McCordsville, Amy Spillman and the team would be glad to help. Schedule a Free Consultation.
