1 prime location, many alternatives 8.15.11

INDIANAPOLIS STAR

As city leaders study options, merchants along Massachusetts Avenue have their own ideas about how to redevelop a section of what is among Indianapolis' most happening streets.

The parcel being eyed for redevelopment is east of New Jersey Street and northwest of Massachusetts Avenue -- currently the site of Fire Station 7, the Indianapolis Fire Department administrative offices and the Firefighters Credit Union, all of which would be relocated to make way for redevelopment.
Residents and merchants will be able to share their ideas at a public hearing from 6 to 9 p.m. today in the second floor auditorium of The Athenaeum, 401 E. Michigan St. City officials have selected CB Richard Ellis, a national commercial real estate firm with offices in Indianapolis, to lead a search for new uses for the 1.5-acre site.

"I'd like to see more galleries and shops that fit with what Massachusetts Avenue is already," said Chuck Hausafus, who works at The Frame Shop, 617 Massachusetts Ave., an art gallery and picture-frame business. "I'd like to see street-level retail and urban living above -- apartments or condos."

Another merchant, however, said any redevelopment should go much further than simply giving the thoroughfare more of what it already has. "We need an anchor," said Kathy Sarris, co-owner of Aesop's Tables restaurant, 600 Massachusetts Ave. "I'd like to see something that isn't in the city currently -- something like a CB2 or Urban Outfitters." CB2 is a furniture and home-decor store affiliated with Crate & Barrel, and Urban Outfitters is a trendy clothing and home-furnishings store. "The restaurants have been anchoring the avenue for a while," Sarris said. "It really needs something that's going to draw a different crowd and something new to the city."

Like others, Sarris would like to see a residential component as well -- perhaps upper-story living quarters that might be used by college students or young professionals. Those residents, she noted, likely would shop and dine at area businesses. However, some of those in the shops along the street expressed skepticism about the whole idea of redeveloping the parcel.

"I like the firemen down there," said Tracy Brown, a hairdresser at Evolve Salon, 870 Massachusetts Ave. "It gives you a sense of security." Her customer, Mary Anne Hawkins, joined the conversation.

"Where is the city finding the money to redevelop that area?" Hawkins asked. "And if they can't successfully redevelop the Market Square area, how are they going to redevelop that spot?"
Call Star reporter Bill McCleery at (317) 444-6083.