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Indianapolis is looking for improvement concepts to reuse the plaza east of Metropolis Market and the soon-to-be vacant privately run jail alongside East Washington Road, two properties essential to the continuing effort to reinvigorate the downtown space often called the East Market District.
The downtown district, operating primarily alongside Market and Washington streets, has been bursting with change over the previous few years: the 360 Market Sq. and Entire Meals mission opened in 2018. The town final month reopened E. Market Road proper in entrance of Metropolis Market after months of building to rehabilitate the street. The historic Previous Metropolis Corridor and the Metropolis-County Constructing — which can quickly be 50% vacant as a result of workers shifting to the brand new Neighborhood Justice Campus — additionally await redevelopment.
Metropolis-County Constructing fixes: 1962 constructing wants at the very least $35.6 million in repairs
Now, the town is soliciting proposals to reuse Jail II at 730 E. Washington St., close to Solar King, and for the largely empty area subsequent to Metropolis Market. Funding may come from a wide range of federal grants or different tax instruments corresponding to a payment-in-lieu-of-taxes settlement or a tax increment financing district that makes use of the rise in property values to cowl the price of the enhancements.
The town seeks a housing-focused redevelopment available in the market’s east wing, whereas providing extra mixed-use prospects for the jail.
“These redevelopments characterize a monumental alternative to outline the following period of downtown Indianapolis,” Mayor Joe Hogsett mentioned in a press release. “It’s no secret that COVID-19 has created distinctive challenges for downtown districts across the nation. Nevertheless, with strategic investments in housing, retail, and public areas, we will construct a extra resilient city core.”
Reasonably priced housing in Metropolis Market
The plaza east of Metropolis Market holds potential to draw extra clients to the historic constructing, which struggled throughout the pandemic with a loss in foot visitors and the continuing building at its entrance door.
Indianapolis: Metropolis Market ends yr with roughly $90,000 deficit
An evaluation offered to the Metropolis Market board in October steered that the plazas surrounding the market be used as public areas. For example, the market’s east wing may function an out of doors rock-climbing wall or an indoor-outdoor playground, the report steered.
However the metropolis as a substitute will search to develop housing within the east wing of the market, in response to the request for proposals. A minimum of 5% of the housing items needs to be leased to tenants making 30% of the world’s median earnings, or 10% of items listed for tenants making 50%, the request for proposals states.
The wing’s first ground should supply retail area for the bike hub that presently exists there, in response to metropolis tips within the request for proposals doc. The YMCA location within the wing has closed.
The market’s east plaza, in the meantime, might be used as a public area.
One other requirement: making the world inviting and accessible to probably increase enterprise to tenants available in the market.
“The dearth of visibility and readability round public parking creates the notion of an absence of parking,” the request for proposals states. “This problem will must be overcome by means of a artistic method that works to reduce the addition of latest parking to the world.”
The town additionally hopes to make extra pedestrian use of the alley north of the market, half of which is privately owned.
Proposals for the positioning are due March 11.
Participating enterprise in former jail
The Jail II website and Arrestee Processing Middle, positioned at 730 E. Washington St. and 752 E. Market St., respectively, will each quickly be empty as inmates are transferred to the brand new Neighborhood Justice Campus.
Neighborhood Justice Campus: Have a look inside the brand new courthouse and jail

Each buildings had been initially manufacturing websites for the Cole Motor Automotive Firm, constructed between 1911 and 1922, in response to the request for proposals. The enterprise later closed in 1925, however the constructing continued to deal with quite a few industrial tenants, together with the Service Provide Firm.
Indianapolis acquired the constructing in 1996 to deal with its second jail.
The town is open to a variety of makes use of for the positioning, from housing, lodge and workplace area to public-facing industrial companies. The historic façade of the constructing needs to be maintained, the town outlines in its request for proposals.
The mission would ideally strengthen “the gateway between the downtown and the close to east facet,” the request for proposal states.
“Makes use of which are extra passive in nature and reduce exercise on the website, corresponding to self-storage amenities, should not desired,” the proposal states.
Marion County’s different jail close to the Pacers’ stadium, which is now empty of detainees, will nonetheless home the forensics lab till the brand new lab is constructed on the Neighborhood Justice Campus. There’s not but a direct plan for that constructing’s redevelopment.
Proposals for the Jail II website are due April 1.
Name IndyStar reporter Amelia Pak-Harvey at 317-444-6175 or e-mail her at apakharvey@indystar.com. Observe her on Twitter @AmeliaPakHarvey.
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