Roundup: Hopwood Cellars to build new winery, vineyard in Zionsville

A seven-year-old winery in downtown Zionsville plans to expand.

Hopwood Cellars Winery, at 12 E. Cedar St., intends to plant a vineyard and build a winery in Zionsville that would cost more than $1.8 million to develop. The family intends to keep the existing winery in downtown Zionsville open.

The project would be built on about 16 acres at 2055 and 2201 S. Michigan Road, near the southeast corner of West 156^th Street and Michigan Road.

The Hopwood family would build a 10,000-15,000 square-foot winery, which would include a distillery and an event center for weddings and other private events, plus a production facility totaling 5,000 to 7,000 square feet. The family plans to live in a single-family residence at 2055 S. Michigan Road.

The land is currently farmed. The family expects to close on the purchase of the land by the end of the year.

The family has requested a use variance, a special exception and a development standards variance from the Zionsville Board of Zoning Appeals. A meeting is slated for Oct. 8.

If the project receives the zoning and variance approvals needed, enough grape vines to cover 9 acres would be planted in 2021. Construction would come in phases but would be complete by 2024, when the winery would fully open to the public. The production facility, which would include a small tasting room, would be built first, allowing customers to visit the property while construction of the winery space is ongoing.

Hopwood Cellars opened in June 2012 after the founder, Ron Hopwood, began making his own wine in 1994 as a hobby and turned it into a business.

Hopwood told IBJ he would like the community to be able to see the winery be built from the ground up, which is why the site would open to the public before the project is totally complete.

In other retail and development news North of 96^th Street:

― Regions Bank plans to build a branch in Whitestown. The bank has submitted plans to build a 1,500 square-foot building on 1.18 acres at the northwest corner of Whitestown Parkway and Heartland Drive.

― Spencer Farm in Noblesville opened a small batch winery and tasting room in a renovated farmhouse on Oct. 1. The you-pick berry farm at 7177 E. 161^st St. planted a vineyard on the 40-acre property three years ago and began producing wine last year to prepare for the opening.

― Construction has started on the Riverview Health urgent care and emergency room on Michigan Road in Carmel. Riverview Health held a groundbreaking ceremony Sept. 24 for the 10,000-square-foot facility at 10830 N. Michigan Road. It’s expected to open next summer.

― Merchants Bank on Sept. 20 opened its new headquarters in Carmel’s Midtown. The 120,000-square-foot building at the intersection of Elm Street and Monon Boulevard will house nearly 200 employees, with room for expansion. The building includes 8,000 square feet of retail space and 24,000 square feet of leasable office space. The project was announced in May 2015.

― BraunAbility, which announced plans to move its headquarters to Carmel earlier this year, officially opened its new space Oct. 1. The company, previously based in northern Indiana, is leasing 18,000 square-feet of office space in the Lakeside Green Business center at the southeast corner of Carmel Drive and Guilford Road. The company also plans to construct a 20,000 square-foot research and development technology center there. Plans include moving about 100 existing employees to Carmel and hiring 68 new employees.