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Converted from paper version of the Broad Ripple Gazette (v10n11)
BRVA special public meeting regarding development of the old Shell station on College - By Martin Chittum
posted: Jun. 07, 2013

By Martin Chittum

On May 23, 2013, at 6pm, the Broad Ripple Village Association (BRVA) held a special public meeting at the Broad Ripple United Methodist Church. The purpose was so representatives from Browning Investments could give information about their proposed development of the property at 6349 College Avenue - the site of a former Shell gas station. The meeting was very well attended with standing room only. Local TV media were also there covering it.

BRVA special public meeting regarding development of the old Shell station on College - By Martin Chittum
image courtesy of Martin Chittum
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The meeting was brought to order by BRVA President Jay Wetzel. He gave a general welcome and introduced the representatives who were to give the presentation. He made a point of saying that the BRVA does not yet have an official stance on the proposed development. The purpose of the meeting was to get the information needed so that they can form an opinion on it.
After Jay was done, BRVA member Mark Wolf gave a general overview of the agenda for the evening. He stressed that all Broad Ripple residents who want to make their opinions heard should fill out the opinion poll, so the BRVA can better know how the neighborhood feels.
Tom Healy gave a short overview of the development plans for the neighborhood in general, and how that may be relevant to the development being proposed. He spoke about the rich and interesting history of the canal, and the future vision they have for it. Much of the information regarding the BRVA's vision for development can be found in the Envision Broad Ripple plan that is available to view on the BRVA website (brva.org). The Envision plan was formally adopted by the city this past November and is the standard by which future neighborhood development will be judged.
Elizabeth Marshall spoke shortly about the Midtown TIF that the neighborhood is involved with. She made a point of saying that, as of this moment, no TIF funds have been requested for this project.
The main presentation was given by Joe Scimia of Faegre Baker Daniels. They are asking to have the site rezoned from C-2 to C-3 and for a variance in maximum allowed height and maximum allowed floor space for a retail store. The plan is to put in a Whole Foods grocery store, taking up 35,000 square feet in the ground floor, with apartments above, and a garage with 400 parking spaces on the north side.
He said that they had previously proposed just an apartment building, but the city wasn't interested in putting any money toward just apartments. In addition, the land immediately underneath the former gas station is deemed unfit for residential construction - though it is considered safe for a retail grocery store. They also had proposed building a hotel on the site, but none of the major hotel franchisers were interested because of the location.
He went through the nine vision statements outlined in the Envsion Broad Ripple plan, and described how the developers felt the proposed would fit in with it. He emphasized the proven track record of success in urban environments and strong interest in the neighborhood. But, as soon as he got to the point about providing a "service not currently available", the audience erupted into a cacophony of boos and shouts. It turns out that many members of the community are rather sensitive about the possible opening of a Whole Foods in this neighborhood.
After the shouting died down and the meeting was brought back to order, Greg Jacoby, of Browning, Day, Mullins, & Dierdorf, gave a presentation about the proposed structure itself. The storefront and parking will face College Avenue to the west and the apartments will be set back from College so that they won't be over the part of land where the gas station was. He said the developers were particularly sensitive to the appearance of the canal and plan to include some kind of public space near it that could potentially have use during local festivals. The general reaction from the audience to the artistic renderings seemed to be quite negative, and a tense, unsettled, atmosphere continued throughout his presentation.
Past BRVA President, Jim Holland presided over a Q&A session after the main presentation. He started by asking that everyone keep it a low-key, rational, discussion. He also reiterated that the BRVA on-line survey is the place for opinions, so people should please keep to asking relevant questions. Few people heeded his wishes. He started the discussion in earnest with a question regarding the proposed 85-foot height of the building. The developers said that the reason for needing such a high allowance is to have room for the structures needed for the mechanical workings of the elevators and that the actual building wouldn't be that high.
Many people voiced their displeasure with the potential increase in traffic on that area of College, with several relating anecdotes about having gotten into traffic accidents there. Others complained about the increased population density in what they already feel is a crowded part of the neighborhood. The developers feel the increased density is needed to fit with Broad Ripple's plan for self-sufficiency and to meet the wants of increased daytime business in the neighborhood.
One asked if, in regards to the Midtown TIF, wouldn't it be better to locate the new grocery store in the area closer to 38th street, where there is already a recognized lack of services. The response to that was that it isn't a good neighborhood for a store like Whole Foods. They emphasized that the increased property value of putting the store in Broad Ripple would help the underdeveloped neighborhoods by adding funds to the TIF that could be used to their benefit in the future. They also suggested in this statement, that they would indeed ask for funds from the TIF for this development, seeing that it would come back to benefit the TIF. This subject reoccurred during some arguments amongst the audience members about TIFs in general and statements regarding recent allegations of corruption in the within the city government.
In regards to any levee and flood issues, the developers recognize that until the levee system is completed, the property sits in the floodplain and are fully aware of what may happen. They feel that if any serious flooding were to occur, the only part that would be affected would be the grocery store, and that the apartments would be generally safe.
Regarding the price of the housing, the developers plan for it to be priced at market rate for the neighborhood and don't plan on it being mixed income. They have no plans at this time for any sort of subsidized housing in it. While they don't plan on having any apartments developed specifically for seniors or the handicapped, they said the building will be fully accessible as required.
When asked why the existing apartments in the area can't be renovated, they said that was the prerogative of the current landowner, and that he preferred to sell them and have something new built. This elicited random shouts of "slumlord!" from the audience.
Several people asked why open a Whole Foods in Broad Ripple when there is already one located 2 miles away in Nora. The developers feel that, after much study, a Whole Foods would do well in the neighborhood and would be a good way to draw outside traffic into the neighborhood during the critical daytime hours that they are trying to promote. They also said that the store in Nora has just signed a 20-year lease, so they have absolutely no plans to close that one after opening the Broad Ripple store. They mentioned Lincoln Park and Evanston, Illinois as examples of areas that have several stores within a few miles of each other and have had no trouble with business.
Others bemoaned the possibility of the store inevitably closing and being replaced by yet another sports bar. The developers countered this with the fact that as of this date, Whole Foods has never closed a store, to their knowledge. And, any future development of the site would first need to be approved by the authorities, and the neighborhood has already made it clear in their development plans that they don't wish to continue opening new bars.
They were asked for a commitment to work with the BRVA regarding the appearance of the proposed development, and they agreed that they would. They stated they were sensitive to keeping with the shared vision of the neighborhood.
Seeing no more useful discussion possible in light of the hostile atmosphere the meeting had devolved into, Jim Holland did his best to end it in an orderly manner. He once again stated that all opinions can be voiced in the BRVA survey.
You can find all the detailed pertinent information regarding the proposal here: http://brva.org/initiatives/development-zoning/
On June 13, 2013, at 1pm, there will be a zoning meeting at the city building downtown for this proposed development. Everyone is invited to attend.


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