A Plan Is Underway To Renew LSAA preliminary plan to change the face of the Lafayette Square Area has been on the drawing table for about a year. No real details were given at the Lafayette Square Area Coalition January 30 meeting except to say a more concrete plan will be presented at the February meeting. For about a year now, the Lafayette Square Area Coalition’s land use committee has been meeting monthly to re-examine land use as a means to help bring back economic vitality to the area. Committee member Mary Chalmers explained the plan is to bring a multi-use development to the area instead of its current concentration of retail use. The committee envisions more of a residential, commercial and retail mix that would incorporate the use of pedestrian and bike routes to serve the area. The land use committee has not been the lone player in this development. The committee has sought input from coalition members to help identify the area’s strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The committee has also involved the Department of Metropolitan Development, Indy Go, and Indy Greenways in their discussions. Developing this plan will also include a partnership with School of Public and Environmental Affairs (SPEA) and the Kelly School of Business Indiana University. IU MBA Allison Carrington Young and a team of four other students will initiate a marketing research of the area. This document will accompany the land use plan. This will give the students a chance to apply their knowledge and to assist LSAC with a better understanding of the local market. The study will examine the demographics to find out who is coming to the area to shop, to seek medical services, to attend church and to exercise. The study will find the answers of how far people are willing to travel for these services, and what is the primary reason for the consumer coming into the area. The goal is to create a bigger marketing pull so the consumer has a desire to stay longer in the area. Crime and crime perception have been an on-going battle for the Lafayette Square Area. Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Major Paul Ciesielski spoke to the group about new plans. “Part of the key to a successful redevelopment is making sure the consumer feels safe, and I hope we do that,” he said. Northwest district will start having their crime watch meetings on the first Wednesday of the month at 3821 Industrial Boulevard. The meetings will be at 6 p.m. He noted Donna Forbes, IMPD Crime Watch Community Relations, will coordinate new crime watch efforts by recruiting new neighborhoods as well as identifying existing neighborhoods. LSAC member Clint Fultz wanted the IMPD to attack juvenile crime even as a preventative measure to show that Pike Township does not tolerate crime no matter how small the crime. Marshawn Wolley said he represents the Mayor as part of the Mayor’s Neighborhood Liaison for Crime Prevention. This is a newly created position designed to give the Mayor a voice in crime related issues. Wolley also serves as a community pulse in terms of crime related issues. “The Mayor no longer had a voice in the police department due to the merger between Indianapolis Police Department and Marion County Sheriff’s Department,” he said. Wolley’s main focus is quality of life issues. He said zoning issues are part of the quality of life issues. Nixing zoning problems and illegal dumping are good crime preventative tools. His responsibility is to engage neighborhood associations throughout the county to develop creative ways to combat crime. |
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