Withdrawal ends a monthslong petition that survived a redesign but stalled at the City Council over left turns on 116th Street.
A proposed Citizens State Bank branch on East 116th Street just west of Olio Road is dead — at least for now.
Senior Planner Christy Cashin told members of the Fishers Advisory Plan Commission near the end of their meeting Wednesday evening that the bank has formally withdrawn its rezoning petition for the property, quietly closing a case that had bounced between the commission and the City Council since July.
The withdrawal spares the council from having to revive a measure it had set aside in August, when it became clear the votes were not there to pass it.
What was proposed
Citizens State Bank sought an amendment to the Drive Planning planned unit development covering roughly 0.83 acres at 13562 E. 116th St. The property was rezoned from R2 residential into that PUD in January 2024, and the city’s comprehensive plan still designates the area as suburban residential.
The amendment would have permitted a single-tenant, owner-occupied banking center of up to 4,500 square feet, capped at 24 feet in height, with fewer than 30 parking spaces. The bank pitched a deliberately low-key design meant to read as residential from the street — pitched roofs, light-colored masonry, wood accents and heavy landscaping.
Why it stalled
The petition ran into trouble almost immediately. When it came before the City Council on July 20, councilors and nearby residents zeroed in on the proposed drive-through and on what more traffic would mean at an already congested stretch of 116th Street.
The bank went back and revised the plan, dropping the drive-through entirely after conversations with neighbors. That was enough for the Advisory Plan Commission, which sent the petition to the council with a unanimous favorable recommendation on Aug. 5.
It was not enough for the council. At the Aug. 17 meeting, members returned to traffic — specifically, the prospect of eastbound drivers on 116th Street stopping to make a left turn across traffic into the bank’s lot, and the crash risk that would create. Engineering Director Hatem Mekky had told officials there was “no concern on the approach intersection with 116th Street,” but the reassurance did not settle the question.
A motion surfaced to approve the rezoning with two conditions: no signage on the building, and right-in, right-out access only. Bank representatives called those conditions unacceptable.
With the measure headed for defeat, Mayor Scott Fadness suggested tabling it instead, giving city staff time to look for what he described as a creative solution. The council tabled the petition unanimously, 9-0.
Roughly two weeks later, the bank chose to walk away instead.
What happens now
Because the petition was withdrawn rather than denied, the council takes no further action and the site keeps the zoning it has carried since January 2024 — meaning any future proposal for the parcel would have to start over.
Citizens State Bank, headquartered in New Castle, already operates a Fishers branch at 9 Municipal Dr. downtown and has locations across east-central Indiana and Hamilton County, including Carmel, Pendleton and Knightstown.
Neither the bank nor city officials indicated Wednesday whether Citizens State Bank intends to look for another Fishers site.
NOTE: Citizens State Bank sponsors the LarryInFishers podcast series.