There were approximately 35 in attendance at the January public meeting of the Broad Ripple Village Association's (BRVA) Land Use and Development committee meeting. It was held on January 24 in the basement of Northminster Presbyterian Church.

There were two items on the agenda, which is in bold below:

The first item was for the razing of a large house (see photo above), on Westfield, north of Winston Island Woods and south of Shore Acres, to make way for 29 townhomes.

Although this property is very close to Broad Ripple and most probably think of it as Broad Ripple, technically, this is north of White River and falls in the area represented by the Nora-Northside Community Council (NCC). The BRVA does not officially comment on items outside of the BRVA boundaries unless specifically requested to by another neighborhood organization. This agenda item was requested of the BRVA by several neighbors of the proposed project.

There was a lengthy discussion between the developers and the neighbors about parking. The developers agreed to continue discussions with the neighbors as the petition process continues with the Department of Metropolitan Development (DMD). No vote was taken as this is a Nora (NCC) issue.

This item was for a proposal to raze three buildings on the east side of Guilford Avenue south of 64th to construct a 4-story building and parking lot. This project has been brought before the committee before. The changes this time include conversion of some of the residences into commercial spaces, and the addition of a surface parking lot on the south side of Main Street, where a large double stands today (see photo below).

The current design calls for four 2-story townhouses, nine apartments, 19,000 sq. ft. of offices and 3,400 sq. ft. of retail. The developers said there are 45 total parking spaces available, 11 of those 45 are public street parking and 4 are tandem parking spots (where one car pulls in and another pulls in behind it). It was brought up that times are changing and today more people walk and take public transit including Lyft and Uber.

This agenda item also had a lengthy discussion. The committee brought up many issues, including size, style and parking concerns. The committee said this building would fit in many places in the Village, but not on Guilford, which some consider to be the main street of Broad Ripple. Parking concerns included not enough on the property, and the ones that are provided on-site include tandem spots. The committee also objected to the removal of a street-facing structure to build a surface parking lot.

An early staff report from the DMD indicates non-support of the project. The developers continue to work with staff until the hearing date.

No vote was taken by the BRVA committee, stating it will wait until the final staff report from the City.

The next public meeting of the BRVA Land Use and Development committee is scheduled for Tuesday, February 28, at 6pm at Northminster Presbyterian Church, 1660 Kessler Boulevard [KK28 on map].