Greenfield, Indiana
Laying the Foundation for a Bright Future
A city with its sights set on infrastructure, industrial and residential expansion
Greenfield, Indiana, is a city blending industrial expansion, infrastructure improvements, and residential development while supporting a high quality of life for residents. Ideally located just 30 minutes from the bustling metropolis of Indianapolis, Greenfield offers the best of small-town living and big-city accessibility and is committed to preserving this legacy as it embraces growth. As Mayor Guy Titus describes, “We still have that hometown feel. You can live, work and play here and people like that.”
A Vibrant Downtown Vision
With a new comprehensive 25-year plan in the works, Titus shares that his goal is to grow the downtown, taking advantage of the popular Pennsy Trail, a draw to the area. He outlines projects such as the transformation of an old grain elevator into a go-to restaurant, as well as a new Arts District and new Riley Arts Trail, a pathway proudly connecting the city’s history with its future.
Named after the celebrated poet James Whitcomb Riley, the trail will feature murals, statues, and historical information about the community. “It’ll go right through the middle of town and circle back to the trail. We’re hoping that brings more people to visit our community,” the mayor adds.
In addition, Greenfield is working to attract more restaurants to the downtown, from upscale eateries to coffee shops. The city is also exploring mixed-use developments that combine high-end apartments with retail spaces.
Titus illustrates, “I want to get more people this way. I look at the north side of Greenfield, it’s our industrial side, it’s the interstate side. When they come downtown, I want it to have that warm, homey feeling.”
Celebrating Community
Community festivals are at the heart of Greenfield’s identity, and the annual Riley Festival draws tens of thousands of visitors every October. “It’s 50 years running, and it is parallel with the Covered Bridge Festival as far as attendance goes. The vendors love coming here, they make a lot of money,” touts Titus.
Along with this, the Hancock Flat 50 bike ride brings over 1200 cyclists from across the country through Greenfield every August, and the city hosts a myriad of seasonal festivals and events to support community engagement. One example is Boos & Brews, a successful Halloween event organized with Downtown Main Street’s Heather Condra. To complement the many festivities, Greenfield introduced an outdoor synthetic ice-skating rink in its downtown plaza, offering residents and visitors a fun way to enjoy the outdoors during the month of December.
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Depot Street Park in Greenfield features an outdoor stage that hosts two summerlong concert series and other events.
Thriving Industry and Commercial Growth
Greenfield’s growing economy is a blend of industrial, commercial, and small business ventures, and its strategic location, within one day’s drive of 80% of the continental U.S., makes it an attractive destination for companies of all sizes.
Among the city’s notable employers is Yamaha Marine Precision Propellers, which has recently undergone two expansions totaling 165,000 square feet. The company is now exploring even greater growth in Greenfield.
“They are talking about wanting to bring all their headquarters here,” Mayor Titus shares. “We’re working with them on the utility side. That’s another feature Greenfield has—we own all of our utilities, and our rates are very good. It’s conducive to bringing industrial and commercial businesses our way.”
Avery Dennison is another major employer and a longstanding enterprise that has significantly expanded its operations in Greenfield. “They make adhesive materials for companies to use for their labels,” explains Mitchell Kirk, Communications Director for the Hancock Economic Development Council (HEDC).
“It started with a 151,000-square-foot facility here, before they expanded throughout their nearly 30 years in the city. They now span about 650,000 square feet and employ 475. We are very fond of that company.”
Other significant contributors to Greenfield’s industrial landscape include Indiana Automotive Fasteners and Hitachi Astemo, both manufacturers of parts for the automotive industry. Adding to Greenfield’s unique offerings is Cynthia’s Hallmark, the largest Hallmark store in the United States at 15,000 square feet.
The city is also looking ahead to new developments, where potential projects encompass high-end daycare facilities, and retail operations, as well as a major industrial development soon to be announced in Greenfield’s Progress Park.
Kirk points out the potential for continued growth in the region, adding, “In the unincorporated part of the county, over 20 million square feet of industrial space has been developed in the past five years, much of which is designed for logistics, transportation purposes, and that includes Walmart’s largest fulfillment center in the world.”
Infrastructure and Collaboration
As Greenfield continues to transform, the city is welcoming development in an area west of downtown known as 200 West. “That’s out near all these other industries,” details Mayor Titus. “Talking with the people from the state, they’re going to add another exit off of I-70, possibly within the next five years. Once that opens it’s going to boom, just like other communities in Hancock County have done over the years.” Additionally, major upgrades to Interstate 70, including a third lane in each direction extending to Greenfield, are nearing completion.
The city’s expansion is supported by partnerships with entities such as NineStar Connect, a cooperative providing utilities and broadband services to the region. Mayor Titus expands, “We own our own utilities here in the city limits, electric, water and sewer, and there will be expansion and hopefully annexation in that area. But we work with NineStar.”
This type of collaboration helps to bridge city and county needs, reflecting the interconnectedness of the community. “Whether you live in the county or the city, we visit the same churches, and we go to the same schools and restaurants and grocery stores and it’s all part of our community. So having a collaboration with NineStar, with Hancock Health, and all of those entities, it sure is getting exciting,” says Titus.
The mayor acknowledges that with growth comes the challenge of maintaining safety infrastructure. ” Public safety has to be number one,” he underscores.
“We have a 50 year old police station, a 45 year old fire station, and we’re going to have to do something with those eventually. I want to work with the HEDC and NineStar and the hospital and be proactive in our growth, because I look at it as an opportunity for the whole area, and we’ve got a chance to do it right.”
One future initiative is Amplify Hancock, a career and technical education center slated to open in 2026. The facility will serve high school students and adults, offering programs in trades like welding and electrical work, as well as nursing and other in-demand fields.
“It’ll be just outside of town, but the Greenfield leaders are heavily involved, and those living in and owning businesses in the city will have a tremendous opportunity to benefit,” imparts Kirk. “We are going to great lengths to engage with employers in and around the area, to see what they need, what kind of skills are lacking in the types of recruits they’re trying to bring in, so that we can fill those gaps.”
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William Huffman, CEO of Photon Automation, Inc., a Greenfield-based advanced manufacturer specializing in laser applications, battery systems, and other cutting-edge technologies.
Meeting the Needs of a Growing Population
Residential development is a primary focus as the city prepares for a population boom. Kirk recounts, “Indiana University projects that the county will rise to over 115,000 residents by 2050. That’s an increase of 44.5% from the 2020 population and a lot of officials here think that’s a very conservative estimate.”
To keep pace with this growth, Greenfield has three housing developments underway, with several other projects under serious consideration. “I want to build quality places. I don’t just want to throw something up. I want something nice,” remarks Mayor Titus. He adds that the city’s housing developments are designed with varying lifestyles in mind, from single family and senior housing to condos and townhouses.
“Young people coming out of college just want a place to live. They want to be able to walk to the bars, walk to the restaurants, walk to entertainment. They don’t want a yard where they have to spend their whole weekend cutting grass and trimming trees and so on. They want to just enjoy the quality of life that’s out there,” he maintains.
Greenfield’s commitment to enhancing quality of life is aligned with its housing initiatives. “We have a trail, they can ride their bikes, enjoy healthy living out here,” boasts Titus. “Our hospital is big, and we’re the third healthiest county in the state of Indiana currently.”
Future Plans
Looking ahead, Mayor Titus says the focus is on thoughtful development. From revitalizing downtown and expanding housing options to addressing mental health and workforce training, Greenfield is focused on meeting the community’s evolving needs.
“I’m working with HEDC on our growth around town and the industrial side and the commercial side, and we’re working with developers all the time,” he asserts.
“There’s just so many areas on the spectrum that we’re going to have to evaluate and pick and choose what we can do and line those up and top to bottom, but my goal right now is to get this downtown kickstarted and get more people moving to our area.”
AT A GLANCE
Greenfield, Indiana
What: A growing city just 30 minutes from Indianapolis
Where: Hancock County, Indiana
Website: www.greenfieldin.org
PREFERRED VENDORS
Hancock County Tourism and Visitor Center – www.visitinhancock.org
The Hancock County Tourism and Visitor Center is the Destination Marketing Organization for Hancock County. Our role is to help bring out-of-county visitors to Hancock County for a *destination experience* – whether that be dining, shopping, enjoying a recreational venue or attraction, attending a festival or event, or spending the night.
Hancock Health – www.hancockhealth.org
Hancock Health is an independent, full-service healthcare network serving East Central Indiana. A member of the Mayo Clinic Care Network, Hancock Health is nationally recognized for outstanding clinical outcomes, with more than 30 facilities: wellness centers, women’s clinics, family practices, Cancer Center, and Gateway and partners with Peyton Manning Children’s Hospital, St. Vincent Heart Center, and Community Health Network.