City, Children's Museum close to deal on Winona Hospital site 7.25.11

WTHR

The City of Indianapolis and Children's Museum of Indianapolis are very close to signing off on a deal to redevelop one of the city's biggest eyesores.

Museum President Jeff Patchen said the proposal is in the city's hands and that he expects an agreement within the next few weeks.

Under the agreement, the Children's Museum would oversee redevelopment of the old Winona Hospital, 3232 N. Meridian, with plans for a mix of housing, retail and museum space.

"Perhaps an interactive outdoor sculpture garden or some sort of interactive family experience outside.
We just want to keep this green campus going north," said Patchen.

Winona has been boarded up and vacant since it abruptly closed in 2004, with the city taking ownership in a tax sale last year. While the site has long been considered prime real estate given its location along a major downtown thoroughfare, it's also been a tough sell given all the asbestos and medical waste.

In February when the city asked developers to submit proposals for redeveloping the site, they didn't receive a single response, not even from the Children's Museum, which had long eyed the site. That's because the cost to remediate and demolish the site was expected to cost far more than the land is worth.

With $2 million in HUD money now available to clean up and demolish the site, the Children's Museum is ready to move forward.

Asked if it was a done deal, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard said, "Unless something comes up, we'd expect the Children's Museum to be the prime driver of all this."

Neither the mayor nor Patchen would say how much if anything the museum would pay to acquire the site. But Doug Day, active in the nearby Meridian Park Neighborhood Association, noted the housing and retail portion would provide a tax base, which was important to the city.

"It was a great example of a compromise. It makes perfect sense," he said. "And mixed use seems like a great idea to us."

Day said the museum had worked hard to bring neighborhood leaders on board, which wasn't difficult, given the museum's investment in the area.

Over the years, the museum has bought several nearby properties (owning a total of 19 acres) and provided interest-free loans to homeowners wanting to make improvements.

"We've gotten to know each other. We don't do a lot without talking to them and they don't do a lot without talking to us. It's a great collaboration," said Day.
Patchen agreed, "We're very much involved in the health of the neighborhood, wanting to make sure this is a vital place to shop, play, prosper and learn."

Patchen said once an agreement was reached, the museum would begin soliciting proposals from developers interested in partnering on the site.

While he didn't provide a timeline, the city hopes to put out bids to remediate and demolish the property within the next month.

Teresa Brown, who lives in Meridian Park and sees Winona every day, said just seeing the vacant building come down will make a huge difference.

"It's just vacant and it's causing issues. We've had people pulling up and stealing from there, so the sooner it's gone the better. We welcome the idea," she said.

http://www.wthr.com/story/15144003/city-childrens-museum-close-to-deal-on-winona-hospital-site