AUG. 20-26, 2021
Indianapolis leaders want to encourage denser development near the city’s bus rapid transit lines and deprioritize cars, so they’ve changed zoning laws to help make it happen. Mickey Shuey and Leslie Bonilla Muñiz explain how planners are flipping the script on 1960s-era development. Also in this week’s issue, Kurt Christian details how Carmel’s Center for the Performing Arts has ended its past two seasons in the black, despite the pandemic’s stranglehold on its primary revenue stream. And Markus Miller reports that the state is launching a $275 million effort to improve its image by overhauling 16 interstate rest stops.
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Former east-side golf course to become Grassy Creek expansion
When Indianapolis Parks and Recreation staff saw a large piece of land up for sale near a well-loved park, they jumped at the chance to add greenspace to the city’s property rolls.
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Pandemic pivots keep Carmel arts center in black
The Center for the Performing Arts has managed to keep its head above water through a greater reliance on government support, scheduled donations and new revenue streams.
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New zoning encourages dense housing near bus lines
Earlier this month, the Democrat-controlled City-County Council voted 20-5 for new development standards that add residential and mixed-use districts to push bus usage, walkability and density county-wide.
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State hopes $275M overhaul of rest stops entices travelers to stay in Indiana
The welcome centers will feature area-specific design features and exhibits intended to entice out-of-state travelers to visit regional attractions, including state parks.
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Big Car behind on Garfield Park revitalization, but confident it will finish
The centerpiece of the project—transforming a 40,000-square-foot former factory into an arts and cultural space—has not begun, but home renovations and greenspace development are underway.
Read MoreQ&A with Scott Tarter, who’s turned ABA fandom into business and charity
An attorney for Bose McKinney and Evans LLP, Tarter has initiated business ventures that raise funds for the Dropping Dimes charity, which distributes money to former ABA players in need.
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Indy tech firm Lessonly acquired by San Diego company
Lessonly will be a brand within Seismic, which will retain the Indianapolis office and its 240 employees.
Read MoreEnvoy’s $52 million project agreement approved by Fishers City Council
A discussion of Fishers-based Envoy Inc.’s planned $52 million Highline project included questions about an elected official’s involvement. State Senator Scott Baldwin is Envoy’s CEO and a representative of District 20, which includes Fishers.
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Indiana’s governor backing schools on mask mandates
Indiana’s governor gave his support Monday to the growing number of school districts across the state issuing mask mandates for students and staff as they try to head off more COVID-19 outbreaks.
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High Alpha’s newest company offers discovery platform for marketing, sales
High Alpha said The Juice will provide the first on-demand hub for marketing and sales professionals to access, consume and organize leadership and educational content, including articles, podcasts, videos, ebooks and more material.
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Mark Montieth: Floor of Hinkle Fieldhouse has no ceiling for historic significance
Imagine an 89-year-old basketball floor, used continually—other than a break during World War II—by the host school, Butler University, but also sporadically by high schools, NBA and WNBA franchises, and all-star teams from all levels of the game.
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New IU president is ‘bundle of energy’
Pamela Whitten has developed a reputation for being a high-energy person who favors face-to-face meetings with everyone from students to faculty to potential donors.
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Editorial: Private-sector vaccine requirements are effective step in pandemic fight
Still, we would stop short of calling for government-mandated vaccines—something we’re unlikely to see in Indiana regardless. And we don’t believe the city should follow the likes of San Francisco and New York City by requiring residents to be vaccinated to eat in restaurants or work out at gyms.
Read MoreNate Feltman: Persistence pays for growing Jackson County
Foreign investment, great corporate citizenship and consistent leadership have played key roles in Jackson County’s growth. A model worth replicating throughout Indiana.
Read MoreAndy Nielsen: Expand vouchers, prevent evictions to help vulnerable
Congress helped mitigate the housing crisis through temporary, emergency actions in the American Rescue Plan Act. But now it’s time for a long-term solution that brings real relief to Hoosiers.
Read MoreDaniel Poynter: Three steps to take toward carbon neutrality
Carbon neutrality means being net-neutral—you still emit some greenhouse gases, but investing in projects that soak up the same amount makes you neutral.
Read MoreIn the workplace: Don’t lose great talent through ‘broken rungs’ in career ladder
For many years, employers have denied flexibility to parents (more specifically, mothers) due to “business needs.”
Read MoreHahn: When is it time to retire? Well, that depends.
He reminded me that “retirement readiness” is more than having the money in the bank; it needs to take into consideration all aspects of your well-being—financial, social, emotional and physical.
Read MoreBohanon & Curott: The ongoing eviction pause not good for renters or landlords
Most obviously, the eviction moratorium protects the housing security of millions of Americans who lost their incomes during the pandemic through no fault of their own. However, by distorting the incentives for tenants and landlords, the moratorium also creates some unintended and undesirable consequences.
Read MoreLetter: Indiana senators should have voted yes on infrastructure bill
Do Indiana Sens. Todd Young and Mike Braun care about the thousands of companies and businesses that rely heavily on Indiana roads, bridges, airports and ports to move their goods across the state, nation and globe?
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Bottleworks adding two-level restaurant for supper-club-style dining
Named The Fountain Room, the 6,300-square-foot restaurant from Noblesville-based Clancy’s Inc. will pay tribute to the property’s past as a Coca-Cola bottling plant.
Read MoreCybersecurity company denies it ‘improperly accessed’ Indiana health records
Cybersecurity company UpGuard Inc. told IBJ that it was trying to help the Indiana Department of Health by notifying it of “leaked” data and “securing the information.”
Read MoreFacemasks mandatory again at City-County Building, local courts
The judges said rising COVID-19 case numbers and a positivity rate that has risen to 10.5% have created a need for the order.
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Heart surgery sidelines Tom Griswold of ‘Bob & Tom Show’
The show’s co-founder initially was scheduled for a procedure to repair the valve, but doctors then decided full replacement was a better course of action.
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