In the last issue of the Gazette we published the views of the Department of Metropolitan Development (DMD) and of the Meridian-Kessler Neighborhood Association (MKNA) on the zoning request for the old Broadway public library branch at 42nd and Broadway Street. The DMD staff recommended approval and the MKNA recommended denial.

For this issue I interviewed Curt Churchman about his project to move Fine Estate Rugs and Gallery Two from Kessler and College to the old library location. Most recently Kaleidescope Youth Center (KYC) was at the location.

Churchman had the highest bid for the property that, according to a release from KYC, was offered for purchase by Kaleidoscope to the United Way, Saint Joan of Arc, Lilly Endowment, Nina Pulliam Trust and the MKNA.

The current zoning for the building is SU-37 (special use library). The city crafted the original zoning variance language. "We recrafted the language with Meridian-Kessler to get the variance conforming to what their view was, something highly specific to [the art gallery and rug shop] so that it couldn't be a [grocery store] or something. We told them we would kill the variance [if in the future we leave this location] so it would then revert back to the SU zoning. I told them that as long as we can get liability insurance, we would like to keep the park [/playground] open."

I asked him about traffic. "We're 10 visitors a day. You couldn't get much less [traffic]."

The hearing is scheduled for 10am at the City-County Building on March 3rd, 2015.