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Recent Articles
MANN: Commercial real estate is next mortgage crisis
September 19, 2009
The cresting wave of maturing commercial real estate debt is the second act in our nation's credit crisis.
MoreVOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Delays to development projects cost everybody money
October 27, 2008
Here's a common scenario: A developer gets approval on zoning and planning permits to build a business on a piece of property.
The business has signed an agreement to either lease or buy the building once it's completed. The owner of the business then
begins making plans to open the new facility. The developer, meanwhile, goes to work to prepare the property for construction,
which includes everything from figuring out the utilities, access road, curbs, sidewalks and landscaping. Working with...
MoreVOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: An open letter to the commercial lending community
August 18, 2008
Dear lenders: Perhaps you have seen the recent headlines that declared suburban Indianapolis among the best places in the
country to live and raise a family. Perhaps you've also taken note that there are a lot of things happening in our communities.
Big projects abound in the Indi anapolis area, including Lucas Oil Stadium and the Midfield Terminal at Indianapolis International
Airport. People are so excited about the new stadium they lined up for hours trying to get a tour...
MoreVOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: An open letter to the commercial lending community
August 18, 2008
Dear lenders: Perhaps you have seen the recent headlines that declared suburban Indianapolis among the best places in the
country to live and raise a family. Perhaps you've also taken note that there are a lot of things happening in our communities.
Big projects abound in the Indi anapolis area, including Lucas Oil Stadium and the Midfield Terminal at Indianapolis International
Airport. People are so excited about the new stadium they lined up for hours trying to get a tour...
MoreVOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: As business property taxes rise, who really pays the bill?
April 28, 2008
All Indiana counties revised property tax bills as a result of an outcry by thousands of homeowners who fought back when they
saw their 2007 tax reassessments and bills. Assessors had to go back to work and try again. So, they did. The new bills are
out, and while it may be good news for homeowners, you can bet commercial property owners aren't turning cartwheels in the
parking lot. The average assessment for commercial properties (where you shop, work and...
MoreVOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Protestors shouldn't control community development
February 25, 2008
N e i g h b o r h o o d activists in Pittsburgh are fighting a development that would bring a grocery store, job training
center, youth programs and other social services to the area of the Pittsburgh Penguins' $290 million arena. The Pittsburgh
group was planning a march in protest. Is retail and commercial development next to a sports arena a bad idea? A Cambridge,
Mass., neighborhood group was opposed to the development of three townhomes, arguing...
MoreVOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Everybody's busy playing the real estate blame game
October 22, 2007
There's a game that takes place in most families with young children. You may be familiar with it. It's easy. Mom's cherished
(insert any household item here) develops a large chip. Mom sees the chip. Mom begins the interrogation: Who did this? "Not
me," says Johnny. and Wall Street. After all, they're the ones that loaned the money. It was too easy to get a loan, the critics
say. People were buying homes and building developments with high-priced coffee shops...
MoreVOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: So, you really want to be a real estate developer ...
August 13, 2007
Real estate developers have a secret: We're not evil. OK ... we're not all evil This runs contrary to the perception that
some people seem determined to promote. They opine that "good development" is an oxymoron. Development is a humbling business.
It turns out that a lot of people know a lot more about the right way to do development than we do, and they're not shy about
letting us and everyone else know this, in public meetings, private conversations,...
MoreVOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Coming to the defense of 'sprawl' in the suburbs
February 19, 2007
Since World War II, strong public policies and economic conditions have led to booming homeownership in America, and rapid
expansion of a great highway transportation system has accelerated our country's suburbanization. We all know the story; we
are participants. In the 1960s, it was often referred to as the American Dream. Although never specifically defined, the American
Dream always included having a family, a reliable (maybe even cool) car, a nice home of one's own, and the freedom to work,...
MoreVOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: Low-impact development likely to make a big impact
August 14, 2006
Every time Indiana experiences one of its summer cloudbursts, the rainfall sets into motion one of a real estate development's
most expensive and least appreciated systems. As rain hits the ground, it quickly collects into wellengineered courses to
swales and gutters, through pipes and culverts and into detention ponds. Flowing around, over and through the land that once
absorbed it, the water is efficiently collected and conveyed off the site. In other words, gather it up and drain it off....
MoreVOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: As construction costs rise, older buildings gain appeal
April 24, 2006
Construction costs continue to rise in the wake of hurricanes, tornadoes, the war in Iraq, the building boom in China and
general inflation. The trickle-down effect often lands at the feet of small business owners. According to the U.S. Bureau
of Labor Statistics' Producer Price Index, prices for materials and construction components increased 0.3 percent in February,
following a 1-percent hike in January and continuing a threeyear upswing. The average building cost index has increased about
45 percent since 1995,...
MoreVOICES FROM THE INDUSTRY: More than ever, developers give back to communities
October 10, 2005
As cities and towns work to attract businesses and residents that will make a positive impact on their tax bases and improve
the quality of life in their communities, plan commissions, city and town councils and other governmental entities aren't
looking at land use the way they did a decade ago. Now, when a developer files for a rezoning, government officials look for
ways that rezoning can improve a community's standard of living and economic outlook. They evaluate how proposed...
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Doug Henning!
These guy were thugs — they grew up in freaking Haughville! Smh, sigh. If the mayor needs/wants "quality" Black Hoosiers who are NOT corrupt, give me a call — I know plenty. Land bank info here - http://www.kubepharm.com/indylandbank/IndyLandBank.html
Magician and illusionist!
The basic idea of nice apartments with parking and retail is a good one, but this design seems overwhelmingly big/tall for Broad Ripple. The size could be disguised a bit with lots of big trees/landscaping, but the complex is too massive to blend in easily. That section of canal between College and Westfield will also need to be upgraded on both sides. Nice apartments facing onto a nice promenade with shade trees/plantings could bring together the canal towpath/Monon recreation, the outdoor seating at existing restaurants, and this project into something that upgrades the whole area. A plan for the whole stretch makes more sense than facing nice new housing onto what looks like a ditch. Is there a plan? Does the public have input? Who pays? The apartment idea seems to be reasonable, but Whole Foods is not a good idea for appropriate retail. Besides the store being physically too big, there are already Fresh Market at 54xCollege and Whole Foods in Nora for fancy groceries. Good Earth and Kroger are within walking distance of the Shell site. There are at least 7 grocery stores within a safe bike ride. Whole Foods would add nothing but traffic congestion. This design is on the right track, but there needs to be more work done to ensure that it blends in with and enhances the existing community. A project that large will set a tone for that whole part of town. It could be a real asset, but only if done right.
I did not move to Zionsville to live in Carmel. This and the subsequent developments to follow will ensure a vanilla uniformity of strip malls and apartment buildings as we seek to bring our town down to the least common denominator. We were warned before recent elections that pro-development council members would make sure their friends (landowners and developers) would be able to make their millions off of the exploitation of Zionsville. Why in God's name would we sell out the best preserved small town in the State of Indiana?