GREENFIELD — Ten community members showed up for the Greenfield Redevelopment Commission meeting Monday, March 10, when the commission passed a resolution adding an economic development area within the existing downtown TIF district, to support a proposed multi-use development.
Designating such an area ensures that only funds from within that area would be used to fund the proposed public-private partnership — a mix of apartments, retail space and a parking garage proposed by The Ridge Group of Muncie.
Greenfield’s downtown TIF district supports improvements within the downtown area, just as the city’s north-end TIF district — the Consolidated North Economic Development Area — supports the area on the north side of the city.
“It’s basically a funding source to make improvements within the … area,” said Greenfield’s planning director, Joanie Fitzwater.
The city proposes to swap land with the developer to build a city-owned 300-space parking garage, which would be wrapped by residential and retail space built by the developer, just east of Depot Street Park.
The proposal has generated significant public feedback since a story about it ran in the Jan. 28 edition of the Daily Reporter.
Fitzwater said the development has not yet received final approval from the city, but that Monday’s vote to approve a TIF allocation area was a step in that direction.
“It takes a lot of money to design construction plans,” said Fitzwater, who said the developer would likely not spend money on final designs until getting a solid indication the city was up for the project.
She expects the developer will now move forward with creating detailed plans for the complex — tentatively known as The Yard at Depot Street — which is expected to be brought to the city’s plan commission for approval next month. The next meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. April 8 in the council chambers at Keith McClarnon Government Center, Greenfield’s city hall.
If approved, the next step would be obtaining a building permit.
Fitzwater said it would take until at least November for the city to secure funding through a bond for its portion of the project, leveraging assessed property values that will increase due to the newly-formed economic development area. If the project passes, the city will commit to paying for the parking garage, which Fitzwater said is estimated to cost $10 million.
Taxes would not be raised to pay for the project, she said.
The public will have a chance to voice opinions about the proposed development when the planning commission hears the proposal, which Fitzwater said could be as early as the April 8 meeting.
Broad design
Based on preliminary designs, the 150-unit apartment complex would include individual units as well as gathering spaces such as a workout center and laundry area.
Fitzwater said an additional parking lot would run along the north side of Osage Street, with landscaping and buffering to separate the parking area from the street.
The alley that runs parallel with State Road 9 throughout the development, connecting Osage and South streets, would remain a public alleyway, she said.
Projecting graphics onto TV screens at Monday’s meeting, Fitzwater showed the proposed footprint for the development as well as the footprint of the economic development area.
She said only a portion of the proposed mixed-use development would be four stories tall — the 16,000 square feet of retail area space directly across the street from the east end of Depot Street Park.
The parking garage and surrounding apartments would be three stories tall, she said.
Fitzwater said the garage would serve not only Depot Street Park but all of downtown, including the Hancock County Courthouse and city hall.
“Since we’ve been working on the downtown revitalization plan that started in 2010, downtown parking has been one of the No. 1 requests,” she said.
“So this is straight out of 15 years of community planning, requesting additional parking in the downtown. With that comes the economic driver of what makes all this work, which is apartments for people to actually live (here) so they can ‘live, work and play’ in the downtown,” Fitzwater said.
She said Depot Street Park and the portion of the Pennsy Trail running through the park and development are included in the newly-formed economic development area, along with a potential parking lot the city would build on the west end of the park if the multi-use project is passed.
The lot would be built on the site of a former power substation that was recently removed on the west side of Riley Avenue.
Fitzwater said the parking lot could serve people visiting the Riley home, local restaurants and concerts at Depot Street Park, and could serve as a trailhead for the Pennsy Trail.
She said the developer has already been in touch with Greenfield Historic Landmarks to come up with a design that complements the historic nature of the downtown area, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The site of the proposed complex sits just outside that boundary.
“(The developers) are very aware that the community is sensitive to what this looks like, and they’re going to try hard to make sure that it fits into our community,” she said.
Public opinion
Danny Wheeler of Greenfield, who attended Monday’s meeting, said he’s opposed to the project, saying he’d rather see local officials focus on more affordable housing options instead.
A lifelong Greenfield resident, who only gave her first name, Betty, said she strongly opposes the development, which she thinks would negatively impact nearby residents and detract from Greenfield’s small-town charm.
“I was born and raised pretty much in that area (south of the proposed development),” she said.
“That’s considered the poor part of town, the other side of the tracks … I’m afraid (those residents) are going to be pushed out of their homes because … people are going to want to buy property, because it’s going to start building up,” she said.
She fears what effect a new development like the one proposed would have on the downtown area, especially for local residents trying to navigate through town. She worries semi-tractor trailers will start making their way down more side streets if traffic continues to get busier along State Road 9.
She’s also concerned about the effect the development would have on nearby residents’ taxes.
Greenfield resident Cathy Tarricone, however, attended Monday’s meeting in favor of the project.
“I’m in favor of it because I want to see more revitalization of downtown,” she said.
“We definitely do need the parking. And I think (it’s good) having apartments to attract people who want to live downtown, to take advantage of the Pennsy Trail and other things we have here in the downtown area,” she said.
Fitzwater said the developer would likely present detailed plans for the project at the next planning commission meeting, which takes place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, in the council chambers on the first floor of Greenfield’s city hall, 10 S. State St.
IF YOU GO
The public is invited to attend meetings in which a proposed 150-unit apartment complex with retail space and a parking garage will be discussed.
Greenfield’s city planning director, Joanie Fitzwater. said the developer would likely present detailed plans for the project at the next planning commission meeting, which takes place at 7 p.m. Tuesday, April 8, in the council chambers on the first floor of Greenfield City Hall, 10 S. State St.