Crooked Creek Quality of Life Plan Unveiled

Deputy Mayor Olgen Williams

Photo by Jay Thompson

(posted Mar 18)

The Crooked Creek Northwest CDC and Lets Improve the Neighborhoods of Crooked Creek unveiled their quality of life plan to about 80 community residents and Deputy Mayor Olgen Williams.

The Deputy Mayor congratulated the 431 participants involved with creating the plan at the March 18 meeting at the Fay Biccard Glick Family Pavilion. He said the Mayor's office is supportive of the initiative, but the support would have come from other than monetary support. He repeated several times in his speech that the city does not have any money.

The Crooked Creek neighborhood was one of six Indianapolis neighborhoods that received a Great Indy Neighborhood Initiative Grant from the Local Initiative Support Corporation (LISC) in 2006.

LISC Executive Director Bill Taft said a condition of awarding the grant was not only for "the great ideas" incorporated in the plan, but finding organizations to carry out the plan. It was the action plan that distinguished Crooked Creek from other neighborhoods competing for the grant.

Taft spoke about the different highlights of the plan. He favored the Michigan Road improvement plan to create gateways with public art. He referred to the proposed gateways at 79th and 51st Streets as a point of pride for the community.

The plan also focuses on turning the Michigan Road corridor into a thriving area of a village use at Kessler and Michigan Road. A green building designation is identified at 71st Street and Westlane Road. The detailed plan proposes building with green roofs and the use of bio-swales to handle the storm water run off.

The Quality of Life plan calls for creating a tax increment financing district to fund the action plan. The boundaries will be the Michigan Road Corridor from 62nd Street to the 5500 block.

CCNCDC Executive Director Alicia Chadwick said the property tax caps might change the city county council's opinion about creating a redevelopment commission and TIF district. The ability to capture additional taxes from the increases in assessed valuation could result in smaller funds as a direct result of the new legislation capping property taxes. "We were going to address the council in March about creating a TIF District," Chadwick said.

Because of the tax caps, "we are in the land of limbo." It was under Mayor Bart Peterson's administration that the model was developed. The proposed TIF district was unique because the TIF was a request from the community, not by a developer. She said a TIF district was the city's way of contributing to the project without direct funding. The new model empowered neighborhoods with the choices as to where the money was to be spent.

She said the first thoughts were to quit if the TIF cannot be created, but the thoughts quickly vanished to now implementing the project on a smaller scale.

District 1 City County Councilor Jose Evans said he would have to do more research about the TIF to see if it is in the best interest of all the taxpayers. He called the proposed TIF creation "a delicate situation." Evans commended the participants for all of their work and involvement to create the plan.

The plan's first priority is to create a $1.2 million pedestrian connector at the intersection of 71 Street, Westlane and Michigan Roads. The sidewalks would serve the disabled housing and senior citizens housing areas as well as the residential neighborhoods. She hopes to tie the pedestrian project in with the city's 71st Street and Michigan Road intersection improvement plan.

Chadwick said the proposed gateway project would include a $300,000 public art and landscape project at 79th Street and 51st Street and include identifying the 18 neighborhoods that have access to Michigan Road between the two gateways.

Chadwick explained the CDC has started other ancillary projects with other grant monies. The Pilot Homeowner Repair Program offers senior citizens up to $15,000 for roof, heating and air, and accessibility upgrades. She said the program is in partnership with the city to the first 18 eligible homeowners in Crooked Creek. The city has contributed $260,000 to the program.

She said CDC now offers a down payment assistance program for first time homeowners in Crooked Creek. The CDC can provide between $5,000 to $15,000 for a down payment. The homeowner does not have to pay the CDC back due to the $300,000 grant from St Vincent Workforce. The grant is to encourage people to live closer to their employment.