Let’s preserve Downtown Noblesville’s human touch

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Dear Editor:

Late last month, Mayor Jensen announced the next step in Noblesville’s decades-long effort to invest in and preserve the Hamilton County seat. As someone who both lives in and runs a business downtown, I see this as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to strengthen the authentic character that makes the square unique.

Our last comprehensive downtown investment came in the 90s under Mayor Mary Sue Rowland. Since then, we’ve continued to make strategic improvements together. We transformed our square’s alleys into vibrant pedestrian spaces and worked with the Preservation Alliance to reconstruct the City’s last brick alley. More recently, we partnered with a non-profit to create the Bridge of Flowers and enacted an ordinance unique to Noblesville to protect buildings on and around the square. These projects, I believe, have enhanced downtown while respecting its authenticity.

Take a walk through our downtown on any given morning, and you’ll notice something remarkable: the pace of life shifts. As you approach the square, your footsteps naturally slow. You weave between sidewalk chalkboards announcing daily specials, peek into window displays, and dodge the occasional outdoor café table. More often than not, I find myself waving to a friend or stopping for a brief conversation with a shop owner.

This isn’t by accident.

Our historic courthouse square was thoughtfully designed as more than just a seat of government – it’s the center of our community. The courthouse stands as our anchor, but it’s the human-scale details around it that truly bring our downtown to life: the preserved spaces in the alleys that provide moments of natural respite, the festivals and fairs that activate the square, and most importantly, the daily interactions that weave together the fabric of our community.

For my family, these aren’t just abstract concepts – they’re the backdrop of some of my best memories as a dad. My son learned to ride his bike in the North Alley and my daughter took her first steps on the bricks of Logan Street during the Front Porch Music Festival. These milestones serve as a reminder to me of why preserving and enhancing our downtown isn’t just a policy decision – it’s about ensuring future generations can create their own memories in these same spaces.

The infrastructure created long ago is foundational to these moments, and as we look to the future, our community should advocate for a plan that builds upon this legacy. This means thoughtfully adding more brick, more trees, more flowers, and more green spaces. It means maintaining our character above the street, while modernizing our infrastructure below. And most importantly, it means making decisions that prioritize the human connections that define our downtown.

Consider the contrast with other environments, like downtown Indianapolis, where identical storefronts and minimal street-level engagement encourage people to hurry past without pause. Here in Noblesville, even a simple coffee run becomes an opportunity for community engagement – where we know our baristas by name and chance encounters with neighbors are part of daily life.

Living, working, and raising my family within a five-block radius of downtown has shown me firsthand that the success of our downtown isn’t measured just in sales figures or property values, but also in the intangibles – like the number of spontaneous conversations and chance encounters that happen every day. This is what has set Noblesville apart from other communities and should continue to do so.

As we plan for downtown Noblesville’s future, preserving and enhancing these opportunities for human connection must remain at the center of every decision we make. This is our chance to expand upon the qualities that make our downtown special – not just for my family, but for all the families who call Noblesville home.

Aaron Smith
Noblesville Common Council
District 3