Developer plans $150M apartment, retail and hotel project at 96th and Meridian

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27 thoughts on “Developer plans $150M apartment, retail and hotel project at 96th and Meridian

  1. Mr. Clark has creatively taken our “gateway” statement from our first meeting between neighborhood leaders and the developer. We asked for a project that creates a “gateway” at 96th and Meridian by flipping the proposed mass and scale to be adjacent to North Meridian Street / US 31. As proposed the tall, massive apartment blocks crash into the single family neighborhood to the East with modest low slung office buildings and asphalt to the West. We support redevelopment and Landmark’s ability to be profitable but believe CSO Architects need to come back to the table. As is currently proposed, this solution does not speak to a quality of life and character required to improve to the existing context.

    We expressed our confidence in Landmark provided it is willing to continue to iterate new solutions for this important corner and corridor. Seeking a D-P rezoning is premature.

    1. You do realize that they don’t need your approval of site design or elevations, right? You seem more than a little entitled.

      We’ve already seen these concerns fail to have an impact in Glendale. Good luck.

    2. “As proposed the tall, massive apartment blocks crash into the single family neighborhood…”

      They are 8 stories…EIGHT…for God’s sake! That’s hardly “crashing.” The hotel across the street is taller than that!

    3. “this solution does not speak to a quality of life and character required to improve to the existing context.”

      Sorry to disappoint you, I live very close to the proposed development and support this project 100%. The website dedicated AGAINST this project speaks volumes. This is going to turn into another Keystone/86th debacle which is unfortunate. Indianapolis lags behind Carmel and Fishers mainly because of BS like this. my .02

  2. Well, whatever happens, I hope this isn’t the end for Daddy Jack’s / Kona Jack’s, two classic restaurants with ultimately a huge impact on the Indianapolis restaurant scene, the latte being where the late Greg Hardesty worked early on in his career here.

  3. The scale and mass of this proposed redevelopment would barely draw any objections whatsoever were it not for two older neighborhoods nearby. After all, to the north of the site across 96th Street sit two highrises (one an office building and the other a hotel) as well as a massive, sprawling office complex. Pretty much everything else with sight is commercial or dense condo and apartment buildings. The growth in traffic and the existing congestion is due to the fact that Meridian Street is a major artery for traffic between downtown and I-465 as well as the north suburbs while 96th Street is a major east-west artery. Most of the single-family homes in the area were built when all the surrounding land was dedicated to farming and little else. By the late 1960s, the interstate came followed by the commercial development (which was to be expected). Like it or not, the 1950s-era homes are the ones out of place in that environment. Now progress marches on, as it should given what that area already has become.

    1. Agree that the Drury Plaza is a tall building on the North East corner. Since this was in Carmel, Indianapolis neighborhoods and planning had no input or review.

      Also agree that some mass is a good thing especially employed to create a gateway. Our concern is the proposed mass and density is in the wrong zone within the development. It needs to be fronting Meridian Street.

  4. Neighbors always nebulously complain about traffic implications of new development. The reality is the 22k cars use Meridian at 96th. Any increase in traffic as a result of this development is likely to be unnoticeable in that context.

    1. The developer will be required to prepare a traffic study. As proposed in the D-P documents, the existing North development access/egress traffic intersections need a lot of work. These intersections today are dangerous and hard to negotiate turns to/from 96th Street. The neighborhood has posted some of the developer’s design proposal at springmillforum.com

    2. Thanks, I appreciate the additional info provided in those documents on the neighborhood website. Regarding traffic, I was of course responding to the vague issues that adjacent neighborhood leaders cited in this article. Without the data that a traffic study would provide, these smack of typical NIMBYism. Let’s wait to see what the study says.

      The development as currently laid out is atrocious split personality urban/suburban gobbledegook. It’s like they’re trying to create a lifestyle center with associated housing but can’t even commit to the faux urban layout typical of that design. Why have a “main street with parallel parking” but also include a standard suburban parking lot between “main street” and the retail buildings fronting Meridian? Assinine. Not to mention that the main street parking shown isn’t even technically parallel parking.

      I wish you the best of luck helping the developer get to something that makes sense!

  5. The developer should purchase a number of the adjacent impacted homes and build a larger buffer zone between the new project and the neighborhood. Does Arby’s own its lot facing 96th Street? Without seeing any renderings, hard to imagine the “new” buildings meshing well with the “old” Shell gas station and the existing Arby’s.

    1. The Arby’s parcel is owned by a separate entity, as is the Shell gas station and the dentist office at 61 East 96th Street.

    2. It’s always easier to spend someone else’s money, isn’t it? Suggesting this development should mesh with crappy run of the mill corporate designs is laughable. Hope you come to the hearings with better logic than that.

    3. The developer represented it owns Arby’s and the dentist office — these are the longer term leases the article mentions in 2027

  6. PLEASE do not uproot the delightful indoor and outdoor dining of Daddy Jacks, Kona Jacks, and Broken Egg restaurants. Additionally, apartment dwellers surely would not want to live on top of Meridian Street’s sirens, traffic, and gas fumes. That corner’s businesses draw customers from many in Marion, Hamilton, and Boone Counties. I’m there for one thing or another several times per week. If this development goes through, it sounds like it’ll remove the establishments I patronize. I’m not against some modifications and upgrades, but this proposal is over-the-top objectionable. I’ll support hoped-for Nora Community Council push backs for a much more neighborly solution.

    1. In fact NCC had a great collaboration with this developer for its additional town house development called Park Meridian on the Southwest corner of Meridian and W. 96th. More recently it helped Top Wine make it through its entitlements.

    2. NCC also supported Alexander at the Crossing – 86th and Keystone. The Driftwood Hills Neighborhood and supporters like the Indiana Forest Alliance were able to defeat that proposal twice. Once in the MDC process, and then again in the courts when the CCC overrode the decision of the MDC. The development is on hold pending a new proposal from the developer more in line with the residential character of that neighborhood. The NCC is not reflexively anti-development

  7. This is the problem I have with Indy and its backwards mind thinking residents. they’re always complaining about traffic and buildings are too BIG ect etc….. Indy is suppose to be a major metropolitan and the state capital. If this project is too big ,I suggest moving to a smaller town or suburb.I visited Nashville and Columbus ohio and neither of those cities have the issues or complaints we see here. Its sad that Indy can’t compete with our peer cities. young professionals love seeing developments like this and if Indy is to stay competitive,let alone retain talent in the area, you definitely need projects like this.If you want to be successful for the future you gotta think BIG and BOLD.Folks want a reason to move here from Chicago,LA,NYC ect.. If all Indy has is a mediocre generic setup, then Indy will continue to get passed up for more developing and exciting cities.Just look how much Nashville has grown and surpassed Indy in the last 5yrs.I want to see what a modern Indy looks like and this is a start.Dont downsize at all

    1. It’s more of a quality of design, flow and shape concern; not necessarily size. For instance rather than turn their back to Pennsylvania Street why not develop 2 story townhomes along that stretch and help reconnect a large neighborhood to this development in a meaningful way. Perhaps connect 93rd Street too. It would also be an improvement to have safe and well designed cross walks to the safer pedestrian trails on the North “Carmel” side of 96th. This would then be a strong connection to the Monon further East or to the West to get to Springmill. I don’t buy the argument another commenter mentioned about issues living along Meridian; just consider Ironworks and Ironworks 2 along 86th and Keystone Ave. THATS a much better design, scale and layout.

    2. Urban Planner…I seriously doubt 600 two-story townhomes with the required parking spaces can fit between 93rd and 96th streets in place of two eight-story apartment mid-rises with 600 units. Also, not all of the apartments need the square footage of townhouses, as the apartment buildings will likely offer a mix of variously sized studios, one-bedroom, and two-bedroom units as well as amenity spaces perched atop parking garages.

  8. Neither too big nor to dense. Period.
    Regarding traffic, widen Spring Mill and implement improvements define in the traffic analysis report. #stopnimbyism

  9. Indy does no need regressive thinking. Yes, indy can indeed grow up and be a city with buildings taller than two stories. Progress sadly is effected by a few, dragging others kicking and screaming behind.

    Hopefully, sidewalk and streetlights will be included with the development.

    Cities have traffic. 0 traffic indicates a dead city. Indy need drastic improvement asap. Seek options to improve access, circulation and through movements as a key and indispensable element of the small area and county transportation plans.

    Columbus Ohio is now doing a much better job at comprehensive development than Indy. Not just townhouses, or high rises — but well planned multi-use developments as part of a broad based urban/suburban fabric.

  10. This is an ambitious project. I wonder how much of the surrounding office space that is tucked away between 86th and 96th is actually occupied and if this could help spur further development.

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