– The west side of the 500 block, where a plan is already under way to redevelop property now occupied by Indianapolis Fire Dept. facilities and the Firefighters Credit Union.

– The former Coca-Cola property on the west side of the 800 block, an 11½-acre site now owned by Indianapolis Public Schools but long considered prime redevelopment. No plans are currently active for that site, while a past attempt to redevelop the property fell victim to the national economic downturn.

The plan was unveiled Jan. 11 by Mark Fisher, director of engagement for DevelopIndy, the city’s economic development arm. Also taking part in the presentation at the Athenaeum were officials from the City’s Department of Metropolitan Development and CB Richard Ellis, the real estate firm helping city officials sort through several redevelopment proposals for the 500 block.

The City sought proposals for the 500 block last fall, insisting that any plan to relocate the Fire Station No. 7 and the Indianapolis Fire Dept. headquarters would have to be revenue-neutral to the City. Fisher said the creation of a tax-increment financing district, commonly known as a TIF, is considered essential to make that work. A TIF does not create any new taxes. What it does is dedicate any new taxes generated by redevelopment to be reinvested in the TIF district. That action allows the tax revenue to be used for infrastructure improvements required by the new development, including the construction of parking garages.

Parking, in fact, was stressed more than once during the meeting. Fisher said any parking built into the redevelopment of the 500 block must not only meet the needs of the project itself, but also to create “a parking solution for Mass Ave.”

“Without the TIF,” Fisher said, “it doesn’t look like this development could be as successful as it needs to be.”

According to City officials, much of the land included in the TIF district is underutilized, with about 51 percent of it now occupied by surface parking lots. Redevelopment of both the fire station and Coca-Cola sites would boost the tax rolls significantly, since both are now occupied by tax-exempt government properties. The district also includes the Trail Side on Mass Ave project, now under construction in the 800 block of Mass Ave.

The TIF district itself is actually an extension of an existing Downtown TIF district. The expansion includes not only parts of Mass Ave, but also areas around St. Clair Street. A second area involves land between Wishard Hospital and 16th Street, west of Fall Creek and east of White River.

The City-County Council’s Metropolitan Development Committee is scheduled to hear the proposal on Jan. 23, followed by a Jan. 30 hearing by the City-County Council. A further hearing by the Metropolitan Development Commission would follow at 1 p.m. Feb. 15.

As far as the current project in the 500 block of Mass Ave., officials from CB Richard Ellis said they were nearing a completion of their comprehensive analysis of the proposals. City officials are expected to make a final decision on the development in March or early in the second quarter.

Fisher said the proposals are all high-quality, showing that the would-be developers paid close attention to feedback received at public meetings last year.

Also nearing completion is the selection of a new site for Fire Station No. 7. What seems more certain is that the fire headquarters will move to the historic former School 97, also known as the Roberts School, on East 10th Street adjacent to the Arsenal Technical High School campus. The Firefighters Credit Union, although privately owned, also appears likely to follow one of the relocations.

Bru is the third recent addition to the Downtown dining scene:

– Azul, a Mexican-themed restaurant, opened Dec. 9 in the St. Joseph neighborhood.

– New Orleans on the Avenue, a Creole-based eatery, opened in November at 543 Indiana Ave. in a building that most recently housed Zing restaurant.

BRU: If hand-dipped milkshakes aren’t enough, the family-friendly establishment also offers a wide selection of draft beers and a full-service bar.

The gourmet specialty burgers include the Bru, which fetures taleggio cheese, bacon, tomato jam, braised onion, chopped lettuce and tomato. Or  there’s the Mount Olympus, with a wide variety of ingredients including pepperoni, feta cheese and kalamata olives. Another early customer favorite is the Provencal, which boasts basil aoili, red onions, herbed goat cheese and marinated portabello mushrooms.

Other specialty burgers boast such names as the Black and Blue Bacon Burger, the Ahi Tuna Burger and the Mexicali BBQ Burger. The list of “Classics” includes The Beginning, Patty Melt and Classic Bacon Cheeseburger.

Bru offers a few sandwiches beyond the burger, based on such items as pulled pork, chicken, spicy hot mettwurst and a shrimp po-boy.

Appetizers range from the standards such as Chili Cheese Fries to the more avant garde, a Roasted Tomato and Goat Cheese Strudel.

Jonathan Feldhaus is general manager of Bru, which is the second Mass Ave venture for Cunningham Restaurant Group. That Avon-based company opened Mesh, an upscale dining establishment, in the fall of 2010. Josh Ray, bar manager, said Bru is intended quality neighborhood feel where customers cantbck, relax and have a good conversation.

Bru is located in space formerly occupied by Elements. The space has been expanded, however, to give Bru a stronger presence on Mass Ave. The restaurant will seat about 100, plus another 50 to 60 spaces on the patio which faces Davlan Park at the corner of Mass Ave, Alabama Street and Vermont Street.

Entry to Bru is gained from Davlan Park, on the right side of the new addition. Hours are 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Mondays through Saturdays and 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays.

NEW ORLEANS ON THE AVENUE: One recent customers was shocked because she could see “a whole crawfish” in the Etouffee. “But it isn’t Etouffee if there isn’t a whole crawfish in it,” countered Bridget Brown, owner of the Creole eatery which was launched at 543 Indiana Ave. in mid-November.

Indianapolis has had a good serving of fast-food offerings from Louisiana, but not so much in the way of finer dining. That’s what New Orleans on the Avenue offers, with a variety of entrees priced under $20.

Brown, a native of southern Louisiana and a former soccer player at Louisiana State University, has lived in Indianapolis for 17 years, operating a small catering business. “But it’s been my dream to open a restaurant, and its finally coming true.”

Brown said first-timers might want to try the Taste of New Orleans, a combination platter with Jambalaya, Etouffee, Gumbo and two pieces of Fried Catfish. Other favorites include Red Beans and Rice and a New Orleans Pork Chop. There are also shrimp, oyster and catfish platters, plus the Ultimate Creole Seafood Platter.

The pride of the appetizer menu are the Fried Boudin Balls, composed of pork, rice and blended Creole seasoning rolled in Italian bread crumbs. The six-inch Seafood Pizza is also an early favorite, Brown said.

New Orleans on the Avenue is open 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays, 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Fridays, noon to 10 p.m. Saturdays and noon to 9 p.m. Sundays.

AZUL: This Mexican-inspired restaurant opened for dinner only on Dec. 9 in the the former home of The Bar at the Ambassador at the corner of 11th and Pennsylvania streets. By the new year, or perhaps earlier, the restaurant will be open 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. for lunch and dinner.

As of Dec. 20, the dinner-only menu featured a variety of appetizers and salads plus quesadillas, burritos, enchiladas, fajitas, and hard and soft tacos. Some not-so-Mexican tortas (sandwiches) included tenderloins, swiss burgers and grilled ham and cheese.

But once the hours are expanded, Azul will offer a wide variety of ceviches, sauteed shrimp dishes, seafood dishes such as the Al Veracruzan, sauteed white fish in Veracruzana sauce; and the Diabla, fresh fried fish sauteed with a mild chipotle sauce, green peppers and onions served with rice and beans.

The expanded menu will also include seafoord platters and specialty dishes such as Pollo Ranchero, grilled chicken breast and chorizo on pasta with poblano chile sauce; Salmon; and Fish Tacos.

“This court helps people get back on track,” said Judge David Certo of Community Court, the only court of its kind in the state. The court is located in Fountain Square.

reinforced when Judge David Certo walks in wearing a black robe. It’s “all rise” and we’re in business.

But suddenly the room is less like a courtroom and more like a social service agency, as one offender after another steps forward to be walked through the plea agreement they have each agreed to, the agreement they signed off on to land in Certo’s courtroom which sits in an unassuming building on Virginia Avenue near the northwest edge of the Fountain Square neighborhood.

A young man stands up, having pled guilty to the charge of being a minor in possession of alcohol. He will perform community service, and promises not to get arrested again within 60 days. If he does, the judge says, the consequences will be serious. “I don’t want that for you, and I am sure you don’t want that for yourself,” Judge Certo says as he asks the young man to stay out of trouble.

Next up are two more young adults, busted for possession of marijuana at a rock concert. The charges will be dismissed if they perform 24 hours of community service, a task that involves showing up at 7:45 a.m. each day. Be late and there’s no credit. They also agree to a treatment program, and to behave for at least two months. “You aren’t going to get arrested again,” the judge asks, with extraordinary courtesy as he reminds them that to err is to go to jail for up to a year. “I ask you, respectfully, to do what you promise.” An attorney offers contrition: “These are a couple of guys who stubbed their toes at a rock concert. You got their attention.”

The parade of offenders continues in the Community Court of Indianapolis, one of two programs operated out of the Virginia Avenue complex. (The other is the Environmental Court, outlined in the related story below.) Community Court – the only court of its kind in Indiana – is a neighborhood-based court that handles lower-level misdemeanor criminal cases that greatly impact residents in the area it serves. The court’s primary purpose is to reduce criminal activity by addressing issues that lead to criminal behavior such as substance abuse, homelessness, and the need for public assistance. According to the court’s website, it “strives to improve the community by requiring defendants to ‘pay back’ the community for their crime through community service work.”

The court, which celebrated its 10th anniversary earlier this fall, handles only people charged with non-violent misdemeanors from only the Downtown, Northeast and Southeast police districts.

It’s called Community Court for a reason. The court works to empower neighbors to have a true voice in the criminal justice system and to improve the quality of life in the communities in which they live.

Unlike most courts, which either send offenders to jail or let them off the hook, Certo said the Community Court sentences low-level offenders to pay back the neighborhood through community service while at the same time offering them help with problems that often help prevent criminal behavior in the community. Residents, businesses and social service agencies collaborate with the Court by supervising community service projects and by providing on-site social services, including drug treatment and job training.

Offenders land in Community Court only by choice. At the Arrestee Processing Center, offenders who fit the court’s parameters are given the choice: Go to a standard court, or plead guilty and go to Community Court. Choosing Plan B can be the first step in a very positive direction, court advocates believe.

“This court helps people get back on track,” Certo said. Serving on its bench, he added, “is a real privilege.” Certo, a Woodruff Place resident who has been a judge for just over four years, has sat on the Community Court bench for about 15 months. Among the keys to the program’s success are a number of community partnerships, plus a willingness to experiment. “Not everything is going to work,” he said, “but we’re willing to try.”

Those partnerships are many, including a program with the Indiana University School of Medicine, the Damien Center and county health officials to offer free testing for sexually transmitted diseases. The court partners with the Veterans Administration by hooking those officials up with offenders who are veterans to make sure they are accessing all of their benefits. “The VA has huge access to resources for substance abuse,” Certo noted.

Other Community Court partners include Southeast Neighborhood Development; Keys to Work and Transitions, Inc., two job-training programs; and Craine House and Volunteers of America’s Theodora House, residential facilities offering wrap-around services to women.

There are also tentative plans to use part of the court complex to house a Midtown Mental Health Clinic, which will allow the judge to make immediate and direct referrals when needed. His court also works with clothing and food pantry activists. One goal, he said, is to make sure that nobody leaves the building hungry, and to give people the resources they need to stay out of the criminal justice system.

The most common crimes Certo deals with are drug and alcohol-related offenses, vandalism and prostitution. One of the main goals of the program is to make offenders aware of the impact their behavior has on the environment. Enter the Community Impact Panels, where offenders spent a couple of hours talking to members of the neighborhoods affected by their actions. (See related story, page 7). In October, the court’s Community Impact Panel won an award from the Coalition for Homelessness Intervention and Prevention. Certo praised the neighborhood residents who make the program work. “We are very grateful for their kind recognition, particularly of the volunteers who have worked so hard for many years to build and maintain a dialogue between offenders and their neighbors,” he said.

Back in the courtroom, Certo finds two men clad in orange jumpsuit jail garb standing before him, in chains. One of them has made trouble at Wishard Hospital and is under a court order to stay away. “There are other places you can get treatment,” the judge says. “If you have trouble finding them, call our staff. We’ll be happy to help.” And after he determines there is no other charges keeping the man in jail, he asks, “Do you have a safe place to stay?” It is a question he asks more than once that day. Another: “Do you have people looking out for you?”

He faces a man who has stumbled over his previous sentence for community service. Certo gives him another chance, with a warning: “This is your last modification. There won’t be another chance.” And then, “I ask you respectfully to do what you promised to do.” The offender: “I’ll behave.” The judge: “You can even misbehave, if you do it in your own house.”

Deputy Prosecutor Kathy Infanger then reports on several no-shows, including one repeat offender. Most warrants go out carrying a $500 cash bond, but on this one Infanger asks for $750. “Seven fifty?” Certo says. “Yes, I miss him that much.”

Another missing offender already faces five $1,000 bonds. He is homeless, Infanger says. “If we can get him into custody,” the judge responds, “maybe we can get him into treatment. That’s my biggest concern.”

For Infanger, Community Court is definitely a different type of justice. She works in the Community Prosecutors Division, where her colleagues are generally housed in police stations to work more directly with police and neighbors. “We’re creative, and try to be problem-solvers. Pro-active instead of reactive.”

She says the approach follows the well-known “broken window theory,” that small crimes going unpunished lead to bigger crimes. “If I didn’t really believe in it,” she says, “I’d try something new.”

Certo is a believer. “What we want to do is promote following the law,” he said, explaining that some people respond to the stick, others the carrot. “There are different approaches to get them to do it.”

He said one key difference between Community Court and others: “In most courts, the prosecutors represent the people. Here, the people represent themselves.” n

Need a work crew? Defendants give back to the community by working on community service projects in the neighborhoods in which they are arrested. Anyone interested in utilizing the Community Court community service work crew should call 327-2888.

Since 2001, Community Court defendants have provided over 143,000 hours of labor to the community. Court officials expect to provide 30,000 hours of service to neighbors in 2011.

Environmental Court housed, as well. The Community Justice Center at 902 Virginia Ave. holds more than Community Court. It is also home to Environmental Court, also presided over by Judge David Certo.

Environmental Court handles lawsuits brought by city or county officials involving animal control, zoning inspections and all ordinance enforcement except traffic. That includes such complaints as weeds or barking dogs.

Unlike Community Court, which only affects cases in three police districts, Environmental Court handles cases from throughout Marion County.

Herron-Morton Place Neighborhood Association and the Old Northside Association filed suit Dec. 1 in Marion Superior Court-Environmental Division, appealing approval of the development by the Indianapolis Historic Preservation Commission.

Neighbors contend that IHPC ignored its statutory mandate to “determine whether (a) proposal will be appropriate to the preservation of the area and to the furtherance and development of historic preservation.”

“It seems like IHPC focused strictly on the gas station design and not the impact it’s going to have on our homes and families,” said Heather Woods, a governing board member in Herron-Morton Place. “We don’t feel a gas station is right for that site.”

The commission disagreed. Commissioners noted that the site was already zoned for that use, and a majority of them approved of what they considered improvements in a site plan which had been rejected by IHPC earlier in 2011. In the IHPC staff report, it was noted that the corner lot had hosted a gas station for about 100 years and that 16th Street is more commercial than residential in nature. The staff report also asserts that nothing in the Herron-Morton Place Historic Preservation Plan asserts that the site cannot be continued in its current use.

Doug Sapp, Old Northside Association vice president, noted that IHPC approved the development despite unanimous opposition from surrounding neighborhood associations, which also include the King Park Area Development Corp. and Kennedy-King Neighborhood Association. Sapp said IHPC also ignored multiple historic preservation plans that specifically identify gas stations as developments to avoid in designated historic districts.

“The people who pioneered the revival of our historic neighborhoods had to overcome a lot of inappropriately sited businesses,” Sapp said. “Let’s not repeat history and start putting gas stations back where they don’t belong.”

The neighborhoods are represented by Indianapolis attorney Frank W. Hogan.

Kevin Greek of 1626 Central Ave. said he moved to the neighborhood partly because of the development potential at the nearby intersection. But now he fears that airborne organic compounds such as benzene will harm his 14-month-old son, and that littering, loitering and heavy foot traffic will further compromise his family’s quality of life.

“I can’t find one positive thing about a gas station there,” Greek said.

Jackie Nytes served 12 years on the City-County Council.

Public Library.

But as most eyes are focused on the door that’s opening for the long-time Mapleton-Fall Creek resident, there are also two doors that are swinging in the opposite direction. As she prepares to return to the library system she once served as associate director and chief financial officer, Nytes is ending two tenures:

- As executive director of the Mapleton-Fall Creek Development Corp., a post she has held the past four years.

- As a member of the Indianapolis and Marion County City-County Council, where she served 12 years representing the very diverse District 9. That district includes all or parts of several Urban Times neighborhoods, including St. Joseph, Chatham Arch, Old Northside, Herron-Morton Place, Fall Creek Place, Meridian Park and Watson-McCord.

Nytes, whose background in financial management put her at the forefront of many key city issues, leaves city government proud of several key accomplishments, especially in some areas where she said “we made some tough choices.”

Chief among those was the sale of the water company to Citizens Energy Group and the creation of Fall Creek Place.

Nytes said earlier in her tenure she voted for the city to buy the water company, “and at the end of the day I voted to sell it.” She said her earlier vote came because the water company was on the block and she believed the City needed to buy it to keep it out of the wrong hands. “But we experienced difficulty running it.” She said the idea was to put the operation one step away from the political process – “but that wasn’t enough.” Now, she believes it is in the right hands with Citizens, a nonprofit charitable trust.

As for Fall Creek Place, Nytes said City leaders were correct in “being willing to do a large-scale urban re-investment.” Fortunately, she said, the first several phases of that project occurred while the housing market was still hot. She said many people don’t fully appreciate what that project did to the tax base. She said the convention industry uses a term, “heads in beds,” which also applies to the whole city.

Jackie Nytes speaks during a program marking one of her favorite Mapleton-Fall Creek success stories – the house at 2930 Park Ave. which was the first home sold in the neighborhood after renovation funded through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program.

But Nytes had the most direct impact on two very divergent issues – human rights and local taxing. “There are two pieces of specific legislation I feel awfully good about,” she said – the human rights ordinance and the County Option Income Tax.

As for the former, Nytes, a Democrat, and Scott Keller, a Republican, sponsored a change in the City’s Human Rights Ordinance, adding both “sexual orientation” and “gender identity”’ as protected classes from discrimination in employment and housing in Indianapolis.

It was not without controversy – but none like that generated by an increase in the County Option Income Tax. Nytes’s strong advocacy of that change brought her a lot of heat from her own party, but she remains convinced that the move was necessary because local government was far too dependent upon property taxes. “We needed to diversify funding for local government,” she said, noting that the County Option Income Tax hadn’t been changed in years, and that nearly all other Central Indiana taxing districts had taken advantage of higher rates allowed by the State. “It was an opportunity to look at an alternative way of funding local government,” she said. “We have a shrinking property tax base, and needed to diversity. I am proud of having helped fight that fight.”

Nytes said one determining factor in her decision to champion that cause was because the end result was for the “common good.” She holds that term dear. “I hang a lot of my votes on that.” Another example – the Duvall work release program, which many people felt was located too close to the Windsor Park neighborhood. Nytes said the community needs to successfully move people from prisons back into society – and that programs to accomplish that goal must be located close to services such as public transportation and jobs.

Taking a broader look at her dozen years on the City-County Council, Nytes said, “It has been fun to look at the neighborhoods and see how much many of them have accomplished together. She praised residents of neighborhoods such as Chatham Arch, the Old Northside and Herron-Morton. “People came together, and nobody wrote them a blank check. It makes you realize the power of people banding together to get something done.” A lot of home tours, she observed.

Nytes was able to experience that on a more first-hand basis when she took the job four years ago leading the Mapleton-Fall Creek Development Corp. It was, she said, an exciting chapter in her life. It was also a job in her own backyard. She and her husband, Michael O’Brien, lived at 3510 N. Pennsylvania St. in 1977, after which they bought an abandoned house at 3009 N. Pennsylvania St. No doors, no plumbing. In 1982 they moved to 3110 on the same street, before moving in 2006 to their current house on Washington Boulevard in Meridian Park, restoring a grand home which had been converted to business use for many years. For that restoration, the couple earned an award from the Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana.

“I had the chance to do full-time in a small neighborhood the kind of stuff I wanted to have every neighborhood do in my district,” she said. Mapleton-Fall Creek became a laboratory for those ideas. While progress hasn’t come at quite the pace she had hoped, she draws solace from remembering that the urban pioneers who turned around the historic Downtown neighborhoods didn’t accomplish that goal overnight. She draws comparisons between the current Mapleton-Fall Creek pocket park effort to the Old Northside Foundation’s successful efforts to create Great Oak Commons and Shawn Grove Park. If Nytes leaves with one unfilled goal, though, it’s that another $100,000 is needed to fund the park project, despite the 50-percent tax credit available.

She noted that the Mapleton-Fall Creek effort has evolved into a “most holistic discussion about what it takes for a neighborhood to succeed, such as schools. She said successful neighborhoods also have parks, shopping, walkability – “and jobs, so that people can make their lives here. Districts are the healthiest when they’ve got a more complex array of things going on.”

She is optimistic that the Mapleton-Fall Creek community will continue to improve, citing the work now being done on a Quality of Life Plan, a step which played a vital role   in the recent progress being made on the Near Eastside.

She is optimistic that the Mapleton-Fall Creek Development Corp. will continue strong after she cleans out her desk. “They’ve got a good board that is really vested,” she said, as well as good partners with financial clout. “And the residents are stepping it up.”

Not that the work will be easy. Progress has been too slow to hold people in the neighborhood or attract enough new residents and businesses. The development corporation itself had caused some problems through poor management of properties it owns, a situation Nytes believes was solved through a partnership with the Whitsett Group that led to the revitalization of 50 units of rental housing.

She said federal funding through the Neighborhood Stabilization Program has jump-started some programs, but progress remains slow because the housing market has not rebounded. “But I’m not complaining,” she said. “We got a solid start.”

She remains buoyed by the spirit she sees in the neighborhoods. “At the very grassroots,” Nytes said, “you’ve got people struggling to make their rent payments, but also people working with other bright people interested in making sustainable neighborhoods.”

As Nytes winds down her time at the Mapleton-Fall Creek organization, she has thought about how her experience there and on the City-County Council has played into her return to a world with which she is very familiar. She began as a public librarian in 1975 and led the Carmel-Clay Public Library from 1981 to 1988.

“A sabbatical can be a good thing,” she said, noting that her time working with neighborhoods as city-county councilor and at the development corporation has given her a different perspective. “I’ve come to see the value neighborhoods and the community place on their individual libraries,” she said.

At this writing, a formal date for her ascension to the library throne had not been determined. She expected to make the move soon after the first of the year. And while she winds down her time at Mapleton-Fall Creek Development Corp., there is a sense of some wistfulness. Not so much with the City-County Council.

“When you’re a veteran on the council,” she said, “the days seem shorter because there are so many more people you need to talk to, so many more issues you track, so many more meetings.”  By the 12th year, she said, she felt like she was only getting to a fourth of the meetings she should have – yet she was going to as many as ever.

She is also a bit tired of hearing people demand their streets and sidewalks be repaired. “They want everything from local government,” she said,, “and property tax caps at the same time.”

Despite that bit of cynicism, Nytes is bullish on the system and the city.

“We have a really good city,” she said. “I really think so. There are a lot of folks running things really well, making many of the changes that will make that better.”

- Bill Brooks

This illustration by Storrow Kinsella Associates depicts the types of gateway signage contemplated by the Chatham Arch Neighborhood Association Beautification Committee.

neighbors on preliminary designs and recommendations for new neighborhood identity elements.

The committee presented its recommendations at the Oct. 25 neighborhood meeting where a short survey was handed out to indicate attendee’s preferences.

The survey is also available as a flyer in the neighborhood’s Urban Times or on-line through the Chatham Arch website (http://www.chathamarch.org/).

Committee members Jennifer Hahn and Teresa Harvey said the phased identity plan builds on previous Urban Design committee recommendations for parking, signage and beautification. Gateway pylons are proposed that would identify neighborhood boundaries at key gateways along arterial streets. They are proposed as a “cast iron” expression, with hanging flower baskets and Chatham Arch logo plaque.

Secondary gateways are proposed to be located at entry streets along neighborhood arterial streets that feature decorative stop sign poles with the neighborhood logo and hanging flower baskets. Interior gateway elements are proposed at local streets that feature smaller scale, decorative stop sign poles that feature the logo and, depending on location, may have flower baskets.

The Beautification Committee wants to hear from Chatham Arch residents. “We look forward to receiving your comments,” Kahn and Harvey said.

In his job as a planner with    the City’s Bikeways project, Jamison Hutchins is working to spread the word about bicycle lanes – and more importantly about how motorists and bicyclists need to work together to make the ever-increasing

Many motorists are confused by the all-green sections of the bike lanes, such as the one on New York Street between Meridian and Pennsylvania. The green sections indicate a shift of driving lanes because of upcoming right-turn lanes. Without the crossovers, vehicles would be turning in front of bicycles at intersections, considered the more dangerous option.

number of bicycle lanes safe for all.

What he has learned, through experience attending neighborhood meetings, is that too many people don’t understand the new signs they are seeing.

“Sometimes I have to step back and remember that I ride every day, so I understand what everything means,” said Hutchins, who joined the City’s Department of Public Works earlier this year after helping to organize IndyCog, a bicycle advocacy organization.

Hutchins said some folks just absolutely do not believe in the wisdom of bicycle lanes – even some avid riders who think it safer to ride in the regular traffic lanes. “If you don’t agree with them, that’s one thing,” he said, “but if you genuinely don’t understand, that’s our fault.”

That’s why Hutchins is eager to attend any neighborhood meeting he’s invited to. He wants to spread the word about the bicycle lanes. Indy Bikeways is also preparing a brochure to help explain the rules, as well as a public service video which will be played on the City’s public access Channel 16 and available on the Bikeways website.

There are currently 30.63 miles of lanes on city streets, including the Michigan and New York street corridors which have an impact on several Urban Times neighborhoods. Over the next two years, that number will more than double with another 37.88 miles planned. Twelve years from now, plans call for about 200 miles of bicycle lanes in the city.

Folks in Fountain Square understand, because a unique “cycle track” is being established along Shelby Street from Prospect Street (southern terminus of the Indianapolis Cultural Trail) south to Pleasant Run Parkway. A “cycle track” differs from a bicycle lane in two ways – it’s separated from the driving lanes by a curb and bollards, and features two lanes for bicyclists going each way. Once the separated lanes disappear at Pleasant Run Parkway, the Shelby Street bicycle route will continue  u u south of Madison Street and then on to County Line Road, using either lined bicycle lanes or the “sharrow” concept.

Sharrow markings (see sidebar) indicate lanes to be shared by vehicles and bicycles. The sharrow concept will be used along East 10th Street where there isn’t enough room for a separate bicycle lane, and where on-street parking is too valuable to be eliminated.

The “cycle track” on Shelby Street in Fountain Square is a two-way route for bicyclists. Note the all-green sections which indicate where vehicles will be crossing the bike path from parking lots.

Some people were also confused by diamond-shaped symbols which appeared in bicycle lanes. Those symbols, used in Portland, Ore., the American city considered the most bicycle-friendly of all, simply replaced the bicycle drawings and were believed to be cheaper to install. However, Andy Lutz, coordinator of the City’s bicycle program, said the diamond symbols have been discontinued because they caused too much confusion and didn’t prove to be demonstrably cheaper than the bicycle logos. Those symbols will remain on some bicycle lanes, however, until those lanes are scheduled for maintenance.

And while work continues on bicycle lanes, including the long-awaited restripings of Michigan and New York streets after the major repaving projects, Hutchins continues to reach out to neighbors. Hutchins said his target audience is neither serious cyclists or people who would never ride a bicycle. It’s the people who want to ride their bicycles but just don’t feel secure without knowing the rules. “Those are the people who really want to get on the road – and they’re the people I want to see on bikes.”

More information can be found at www.indy.gov/ bikeways. That website includes links to maps of Downtown bicycle parking, rules for bikes on IndyGo, and to organizations such as Bicycle Indiana, Central Indiana Bicycle Association, IndyCog, Central Indiana Commuter Services, the Indianapolis Greenways Foundation and the Indianapolis Cultural Trail.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

This information is taken from the City’s Bikeways website.

Q.  I’ve seen these markings of a bike with two chevrons/arrows above it on the streets. What do they mean?

A. These are Shared Roadway Bicycle Markings which are intended to help bicyclists position themselves away from parked cars, to avoid being struck by suddenly opened car doors, and to alert other road users to expect bicyclists to

SHARROW: A bicycle combined with a chevron indicates areas where bicycles and motorized vehicles share the lane.

occupy travel lanes. These markings will also be used in situations where it may not be obvious where bicyclists should be riding, such as at intersections with multiple turn lanes.

Q. But on some streets, bicyclists riding over this marking will take the entire lane. Aren’t they supposed to move to the right?

A. Not always. Bicyclists are to stay to the right except to pass other bicyclists or vehicles, to prepare to make a left turn, or when necessary to avoid conditions that make it unsafe to continue along the right, including fixed or moving objects, surface hazards, or substandard width lanes too narrow for a bicycle and vehicle to travel side by side.. Moving to the left in the lane to avoid car doors, for instance, even if it means taking the entire lane, is permitted.

Q. Can’t bicyclists just look into parked cars as they ride and see if someone is about to open the door?

A. Bicyclists, like all road users, need to constantly scan the entire roadway for safety. Checking every car for a driver is difficult to do while paying attention to the road. Also, it is often impossible to see drivers due to large parked vehicles blocking the view of other parked vehicles, tinted windows, headrests, etc. Motorists should check their side view mirror or look back prior to opening their door. It is the driver’s responsibility should any collision occur.

Q.  If I see these markings in a lane, is the lane only for bikes?

A. No. This marking is used for travel lanes that are shared by bicyclists and motorists. Shared lanes are different than bike lanes which are set aside for bicyclists and are marked by a solid white line.

Q.  So, if I don’t see these markings, then it’s not a shared lane and bicyclists aren’t supposed to be there?

A. No. Bicyclists can ride on any street in Indianapolis except for limited access freeways with signs explicitly

BIKE LANE: This symbol and the solid lines indicates a bicycle lane. Motorists can be fined for encroaching.

prohibiting.

Q. Are these markings going to be on every street that does not have a bike lane?

A. No. These markings are used primarily on streets designated as part of the Indianapolis’ bikeways networks. Additional sharrows may be considered on a case by case basis.

Q. I never used to see these markings. Why are they being used now?

A. Prior to 2005, there was no official marking to use on streets with shared lanes. Now we have a marking for areas on the road where traditional bike lanes are not applicable, or possible, due to roadway restrictions.

Q. Why are the sharrows on Shelby in the left lane, instead of the right?

A. The original plan called for traditional bike lanes all the way down Shelby St. along the curb. During a public meeting before the project, neighbors and business owners between Raymond and Troy expressed concern with eliminating the parking that would have been necessary to accommodate the bike lanes. As a compromise, the city decided to use sharrows in that area and to keep the four lanes of traffic (two in each direction), which would allow parking at specified times of the day. So, instead of putting the sharrows in a lane that would serve as a parking lane during part of the day, the city decided to mark the middle most travel lane with the sharrows. This does not mean that the cyclist has to use this middle lane when there are not any cars parked in the curbside lane.

City officials hope a developer steps forward with a feasible plan to replace fire department facilities with a mixed-use project in the 500 block of Massachusetts Avenue.

occupied by Indianapolis Fire Dept. facilities and the Firefighters Credit Union – makes any sense.

Several things will happen if the City’s “request for proposal” issued Oct. 18 draws any legitimate interest:

• IFD Station No. 7 would be relocated to a site within a half-mile of the current station.
• IFD headquarters would be moved to the historic and now-vacant Indianapolis Public School 97 on the Near Eastside, a project being proposed in partnership with the John H. Boner Community Center and the East 10th Street Civic Association.
• The Firefighters Credit Union would be moved, presumably to a site near the new headquarters.

But for any of that to happen, Mayor Greg Ballard said, a developer must step forward with a plan to redevelop the west side of the 500 block of Mass Ave with a proposal that is “cost-neutral” to the City.

Ballard said after the Oct. 18 press conference that such a number has not yet been worked out. But, in light of the recent upsurge in development activity in several areas of the city, he was optimistic that the Mass Ave site will draw considerable interest. The hopes are, he said, that the proposals would be under review before the end of the year, so that action on the plan could come next spring.

“After gaining input from neighborhood residents, merchants and community development leaders, we are confident that an exciting mixed-use development project is feasible on this site,” Ballard said, noting that the call for bids was developed after several meetings with Downtown stakeholders, including the Mass Ave Merchants Association and Riley Area Development Corp.

“ We are seeking a project that will not only strategically link the north and south ends of Mass Ave but will enhance the unique culture of this vibrant and growing district,” Ballard said, adding that the underused tract of land gives the City a great opportunity to add to the cultural district’s vibrancy. “We want a more cohesive district for merchants and residents alike,” he said.

Fire Chief Brian Sanford said that the existing fire station and administrative offices are still serving his department well. But he said there is room for improvement, because current space limitations have fragmented his administrative offices between the City-County Building, the Mass Ave site, and several other locations around the city. He said relocation to School 97, also known as the Roberts School, would “give us a chance to consolidate much of our staff and operate more efficiently.”

This architecturally and culturally significant building, once named by Indiana Landmarks as a Top 10 Most Endangered landmark, would not only serve as IFD’s headquarters but provide space for community gatherings and educational programs related to public safety.

As for Station No. 7, Sanford said the facility handles 6,000 runs a year, and also houses several of the department’s specialty teams.

Alternative sites for IFD Station No. 7 are currently being evaluated by IFD and the City. The site will be within a half-mile of the current location.

Deadline for proposals is 5 p.m. Monday, Nov. 21. The process is being handled for the City by CBRE, a corporate real estate firm.

St. Clair Place Senior Apartments was scheduled to be open by end of October.

Legacy Project — but stakeholders will keep working after the fans have come and gone

James Taylor understands this fact of life, this fact of human nature: When the folks organizing the Indianapolis Super Bowl bid talked about leaving a lasting legacy on the Near Eastside, skeptics saw it as “window dressing to make a frivolous event seem somehow good.”

Good thing the folks on the Near Eastside weren’t all skeptics, because by the time the football-crazed fans descend upon Indianapolis in late January, the evidence of Super Bowl XLVI will be clear, tangible and significant.

But hardly finished.

“What happens after February 5?,” James Taylor asked rhetorically, referring to Big Game Day. “The truth is, one hundred percent of what has happened here has been done by neighborhood groups – and they will be doing the same thing after the game is over.”

New and renovated houses are drawing a great deal of buyer interest in St. Clair Place.

Taylor, chief executive officer of the John H. Boner Community Center, understands fully that what “they” have done already is remarkable by any standard. Not the least on the list is the significant makeover of the St. Clair Place neighborhood, boosted by both newly constructed and extensively renovated homes. Add to the list the Jefferson Apartments, which actively works to move people closer to homeownership.

The list is longer – and will get much longer in the next couple of months, thanks to:

• The St. Clair Senior Apartments, 33 one- and two-bedroom apartments for seniors plus 3,000 square feet of retail space. Located immediately east of the John H. Boner Center, the project is slated to open by the end of October.
• Commonwealth Apartments, 32 units of both affordable and market-rate apartments located in the former School 3 at 23 N. Rural St. That project is set to be dedicated on Nov. 12. (School 3, the former Lucretia Mott School, holds a unique place in city history. See “The Photo Sleuth” on page 29.)
• Clifford Corners, 32 apartments for mixed-income residents along with four condominiums plus 10,000 square feet of retail space. Construction should begin before the end of the year in the 3100 block of East 10th Street across from IPS School 54.
• The 10th Street Gateway at Interstates 65/70, which was one of the targets of the recent Lilly Day of Service. More work, including the installation of lighting inspired by the Feast of Lanterns and embellishments of the median, probably won’t happen until next spring. (Last year’s renovation of East 10th Street between Woodruff Place and Keystone Avenue will eventually be extended east to the Gateway, Taylor said, although no timetable has been set.)
• The Chase Legacy Center, the $11.2 million facility which sets on the campus of Arsenal Technical High
  

  The Chase Legacy Center faces the football field on the Arsenal Technical High School campus. The fitness center will open for some activities in January.

  School, will offer comprehensive fitness, wellness and recreation programs for neighborhood residents and Indianapolis Public Schools students as well as youth development activities. Tech students will also use the facility.

While skepticism of the Legacy Project’s potential could be heard in many corners, nowhere was the skepticism greater than surrounding the Chase Legacy Center. Will the community really have full access to a facility which sits on the Tech campus? Two facts: The building is actually owned by the community (through the Boner Center) and the Legacy Center will be accessed through a newly created, open entrance to the Tech campus off of Oriental Street.

The expansive facility – which was paid for before ground was even broken – will feature a recreational area as well as multi-purpose educational rooms and even an urban garden space. The Chase Legacy Center will also serve as one of the National Football League’s facilities known as Youth Education Town.

Taylor said 12 not-for-profit organizations are currently involved in the Legacy Center, planning many hours of activities. The fitness center is expected to open in January for limited programming, with full-time use expected by

Lilly Day of Service volunteers work on the gateway project at 10th Street and the interstate underpass.

February.

As for St. Clair Place, Taylor said that as of mid-October four or five homes had been sold, with three or more in the pipeline. “It’s been a really good mix of interested buyers,” Taylor said. “Two years ago, nobody knew what St. Clair Place neighborhood was.”

The makeover of St. Clair Place has included significant infrastructure improvements by the City of Indianapolis including new streets, sidewalks and even “green” alleys. The makeover will produce, by the end of next year, over 60 homes for sale. Ultimately, the effort will have had an impact on about 200 homes. And on the subject of sustainability, all of those new or renovated homes have “Energy Star” status, meaning lower heating and cooling costs.

The Legacy Project dates to early 2008 – but the current revitalization initiative is at least three years older, dating to early 2005 when work began on the Near Eastside Quality of Life Plan as part of the larger Great Indy Neighborhoods Initiative.

To Mark Miles, chairman of the Super Bowl Host Committee, that Quality of Life Plan fit in perfectly with his idea about

East 10th Street got a makeover last year between Woodruff Place and Keystone Avenue, a project that will continue east toward the interstate “gateway.” A timetable for that extension has yet to be established.

the potential impact of one big football game on his city and a neighborhood of which he has been long familiar.

When Miles spoke to the recent annual meeting of the Riley Area Development Corp., he emphasized that the Super Bowl Committee was just boosting work which has been going on for some time. “We just want to help,” he said. That help, he well knows, is getting the job done faster.

Taylor, however, appreciates the impact the Super Bowl Host Committee has had on the process. He said the weekly meetings which have been going on for the past three years have focused not so much on the game but more on the community initiatives – the Legacy Project, Super Scarves, Super Kids, Super Cure, Super Learning. The committee’s focus, Taylor said, was evident: The project is not about a football game, but about a lasting effect on the community.  If it were just about a game, Miles told that Riley Area meeting, he would never have signed on.

But Taylor is very pleased with the result of Miles’s decision, noting that the results have exceeded the expectations of both the Host Committee and the Near Eastside  stakeholders. When the process began, the Quality of Life Plan initiative had leveraged about $35 million in resources; now, that number has skyrocketed to $152 million.

“The whole Legacy Project has exceeded my expectations,” said Joe Whitsett, co-chair of the Housing Committee, one of the Legacy Project’s four working committees. “The commercial development, housing and the Chase Legacy Center will all be a great boost to even greater things on the Near Eastside,” added Whitsett, a member of the Boner Center Board of Directors.

Tessie Lloyd-Jones, a Woodruff Place resident who is co-chair of the Legacy Project Special Events and Promotion Committee, can quickly list numerous activities which have helped draw more people into the project as well as build community spirit.

“The entire Super Bowl Legacy Project is extremely exciting,” she said, “and watching the transformation of St. Clair Place unfold is remarkable. My favorite part of this process is meeting and working with people who are enthusiastic about the Near Eastside community.”

Taylor is confident that the Near Eastside Quality of Life Plan would have been realized without the Super Bowl Host Committee’s involvement. Eventually. But probably not now.

“I know for sure that the Gateway would not have happened in February,” he said. “It would have happened eventually, but probably several years from now.” He also said the EcoHouse Project (detailed in the October issue of Urban Times) would probably not have come to Indianapolis if not for the Legacy Project.

“What we have now,” Taylor said, “is greater capacity, a track record (of results), and social capital – new relationships with people who never would have thought about community development.”

The Big Game will come and go, Taylor knows, but the Near Eastside momentum won’t come even close to ending when the fans leave town.

Legacy Center programs

The IUPUI School of Physical Education & Tourism Manage-ment will operate the fitness zone in the Chase Legacy Center.

Other organizations which will operate programming in the center include:

Big Brothers Big Sisters of Central Indiana

Girls Incorporated of Greater Indianapolis

Indianapolis Arts Center

Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra

Indianapolis Youth Choir

Keep Indianapolis Beautiful

Marion County – Purdue Cooperative Extension

YMCA Urban Mission Branch

Young Audiences of Indiana

Ruth Lilly Health Education Center

USA Football

The City’s annual Leaf Collection Program will begin Monday, Oct.24, and run two weeks longer than last year – through Friday, Dec. 2.

Following are guidelines for the collection as posted by the Department of Public Works:

* Each household is permitted 40 bags of leaves for weekly disposal.

* Place leaves in large plastic trash bags, specially built large paper lawn-waste bags, or standard trash cans and containers.

* Place the leaf bags/containers out by 7 a.m. on the regular trash day.

* Separate the leaf pick-up from regular trash. For example, put leaves on opposite side of driveway or use different colored bags and/or tie wraps.

* Keep all leaf containers at least three feet away from cart collection areas to ensure DPW trucks can service the cart.

* Make sure sewer inlets and drainage pipes are clear of leaves to avoid drainage problems.

The DPW conducts the annual Leaf Collection Program to help citizens dispose of the large number of leaves each fall. DPW officials said the program helps the Indianapolis/Marion County environment by turning the leaves into useable compost, offered free to citizens, to help strengthen and beautify lawns and gardens county-wide.

Open burning of leaves is illegal in Indianapolis/Marion County.