Closing Time for Chatham Park? Yet Another (Probably Final) Hearing for the High-Quality Infill Development
Posted by Eric McAfee in Neighborhoods, New Development on Apr 27th, 2017 | 15 comments
I’ve covered the evolution of the Chatham Park proposal multiple times on this blog, so it might seem like overkill to feature it yet again. But it isn’t.
Why not? Because it hasn’t gone away. After multiple presentations before the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission (IHPC), it remains in an ambiguous state, neither approved nor disapproved. The IBJ covers the latest attempt thoroughly.  And, after the early-April meeting, it remains tabled, awaiting further changes until it meets the IHPC’s standards. In the meantime, we all get to look at the withering old...
The Chatham Arch Question Gets an Answer
Posted by Eric McAfee in Neighborhoods, New Development on Jan 30th, 2017 | 34 comments
The time for Chatham Arch has arrived.
This Wednesday, February 1, at 5:30pm, on the second floor of the City-County Building, the Department of Metropolitan Development’s monthly agenda will include the applications for 855 N. East Street and 812 N. Park Avenue—the old Indianapolis Day Nursery Association building and more recently the home of the Todd Academy School. First announced by Kevin in November of last year, this is the same site upon which I wrote two lengthy articles called The Chatham Arch Question. Part I focused on the mismatch between historic preservation and...
The Chatham Arch Question, Part II: What Are the Consequences of Low Density Just a Mile from the Heart of Downtown?
Posted by Eric McAfee in Neighborhoods, New Development on Jan 11th, 2017 | 42 comments
In the first half of this two-part series I looked at the prevailing mentality articulated by some of the most influential members of the Chatham Arch neighborhood, evidenced by the Chatham Arch Neighborhood Association (CANA) and its near-unanimous opposition to the redevelopment of a long-vacant charter school site at 9th and East Streets, into a mix of townhomes, single-family, and apartments with retail. Essentially, CANA argued that this proposal’s density was out of synch with the character of the nationally-registered Chatham Arch historic neighborhood, which largely consists of modest...
The Chatham Arch Question, Part I: Why, in Older, Formerly Crowded Districts, Is Density Still a Dirty Word?
Posted by Eric McAfee in Neighborhoods, New Development on Dec 31st, 2016 | 61 comments
It almost goes without saying: in some Indy neighborhoods, when a developer proposes a new project, a certain contingent immediately assembles to oppose it. We probably all know which neighborhoods these are. While an article that calls these opponents to the carpet will seem unfair (and, at least on an urban advocacy blog like this, all too commonplace), I hope I can at least offer a little bit of nuance and balance to the investigation, while still making the fundamental claim that the proposal in question is a good one—which, in turn, means that opposing it is, in my opinion, not a very good...
Potential Multi-Use Proposal for Chatham Arch
Posted by Kevin Kastner in Neighborhoods, New Development on Nov 15th, 2016 | 31 comments
The Indianapolis Historic Preservation Committee has filed renderings for a proposal on the former Day Nursery, along East Street. This location currently serves as a de facto dog park. The renderings look promising:
As usual, there are neighborhood concerns about the parking variance within the posted document. Overall, it looks like it could be a nice...
