MDC Quick Hits 9/27/2012

There are a number of interesting projects to be mentioned from last month’s Metropolitan Development Commission Report.

  • The building at 24th and Meridian applied for a variance to allow for a Drive-Thru.  The variance was recommended to be declined by the staff.

  • Perhaps most interestingly, the 3 story former Girls Inc building at 40th and Central was reclassified to potentially allow for multi-family units:

Comments 11

  • To be clear, the Hearing Examiner and MDC both approved the 2402 Meridian variance.
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    Jimmy Johns will be the tenant, following two failed independents.

  • Why did staff oppose a drive-thru for that existing building in that location?

  • It’s against city ordinance to have a drive-through on Meridian. Unfortunately, that site is marooned and probably has no future except as a car-service restaurant, either delivery or drive-through. Fall Creek Place grudgingly gave approval for the drive-through.
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    It should also be noted that the approved plans allow Jimmy Johns to lease parking spaces from the under-utilized Library Services Center parking lot. See the pass-through cut on the NW corner of the siteplan Kevin posted.

    • The library deal is both good and interesting. The new library CEO is, of course, a former community development executive in a nearby neighborhood. It should be noted that the developer of the building tried to do this deal before the building was even built.
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      Has anyone else noticed that you can actually SEE the Library Services Center from Meridian now? The evergreen hedge has been removed.

      • I never go out on Meridian to see things — very inhospitable to humans around there! 🙂

        • Years of experience jaywalking at 24th & Meridian leads me to agree. Crossing the one-ways (Capitol, Illinois, Penn, Delaware) is way less daunting because the traffic is, you know, coming at you from only one way.
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          Wouldn’t it be wonderful if the Fall Creek Trail crossed Meridian on the south side of the bridge…protected by a pedestrian-activated light? 😉 Then you and your family (and neighbors) could get to the playground and nature walk at Barton Park in a relatively safe manner.

          • Yes, yes, Y-E-S.

            I’d even say that 25th has enough traffic to justify a standard traffic signal (not just pedestrian-activated) at that intersection. Obviously, the light timing would still be biased toward N-S travel on Meridian, but a regular cycle to allow cars to safely get from 25th onto Meridian would be nice. 25th-to-southbound-Meridian is essentially impossible given the lack of vision over Meridian’s Fall Creek bridge.

          • I’ve wasted a lot of brainpower trying to figure out redesigns for that intersection.
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            Ratio did a gateway design for NNDC that would have put a ped-activated light for trail there. It also removed the horribly unsafe left turns from SB Meridian to EB25th and WB 25th to SB Meridian. A couple of triangular chunks of pavement at the foot of the bridge would be reclaimed as green/pedestrian/gateway islands.

  • Mass Ave project…….. wow

  • Meridian would be a great alignment for a modern streetcar.

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