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23rd Street Brings Memories of Fighting Apartment Development
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23rd Street's 30 foot right of way extends eastward from this driveway
on Auburn.
Photo by Jay Thompson |
(posted Mar 28)
Although 23rd Street (map - low res, high res), linking Auburn Street to Georgetown Road, was never built, it has come
with its fair share of controversy for the immediate neighborhood.
Mention 23rd Street and Sarah Seeley can pull out a folder full of
information that documents a neighborhood remonstrance for Robert L. Hill's
1963 and 1968 rezoning petitions to build apartments and townhouses in
a residential neighborhood. The proposed site is still vacant. It is located
to the south of McCray and North of Dry Run Ditch.
The assessor's office map shows residential lots platted on the north side
of the street.
She said the first petition wanted to rezone 5.07 acres from D-4 to D-7.
The neighbors organized and raised $811.50 to hire an attorney to fight
the cause. The petition must have been denied because the attorney's letter
indicated that Mr. Hill had a right to appeal the decision from the
Indianapolis Metropolitan Planning Organization. He advised the group to
keep the $311.50 in case they had to fight the rezoning petition again.
The neighborhood called themselves the Committee Opposing Rezoning.
Seeley indicated they had just built their home in 1956 and they did not want to be adjacent landowners to multi-family complex.
She said in 1968, they received legal notice again about a rezoning. The hearing was scheduled downtown on Dec 18, 1968. This time it was ten acres to be changed from D-4 single family to D-6, multi-family that would consist of apartments and townhouses.
She said Speedway the town board wrote a letter opposing the rezoning based
on that it would increase traffic on Auburn and Georgetown Road. The apartments
were not compatible with a single family neighborhood, the additional population
would force the school system to enlarge buildings. and the town would
have to build 23rd Street which they were not in the position to do.
She said the next letter received was notice that Hill withdrew his rezoning petition. The road still appears as dedicated of the town, but the single lots were replatted into two parcels when the IMS purchased the property.
Michelle Liddy, who now resides at McCray and Meyers Avenue, would like
to see some type of blockade at Meyers to keep cars from driving south
into the vacant field at night. She wishes 23rd would be paved so traffic
could connect to Georgetown and Auburn and keep drivers from going back
into the field.
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