My latest just went up at Urban Indy. I’ve covered the proposal multiple times in the past. A developer in a downtown Indianapolis neighborhood called Chatham Arch wants to repurpose the site of a long-underutilized old elementary school, occupying an entire block. It currently looks like this:
He wants to transform it to this:
A mix of condos, townhomes, and even a few single-family detached homes. All owner-occupied. Underground parking. Corner retail.
Why is this getting coverage again? Because Chatham Arch Neighborhood Association (CANA) is trying to kill it. For them, it’s still too dense, and, at four stories, too staggeringly tall. This is something like the sixth hearing for this project, and if they cut it even further, the developer will pull out. It cannot get gutted any more and remain a viable project. And if it fails, the developer will keep the ugly school building and lease it to charities.
Urban Indy is fully supportive of this project, and I’ve analyzed on multiple occasions why it’s so great. This latest article is short (at least it’s short for me) and summarizes why people need to come to the final Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission meeting this Wednesday, May 3 at 5:30 pm to voice support for infill. It is essential to outnumber the CANA opposition, who are hell-bent on keeping an urban neighborhood suburban and shutting the door to growth, all in the interest of “historic preservation”. Read why these claims are specious, and what you can do to support a great, low-key infill project.
