Editorial: Georgia Street makeover delivers. Let’s keep up the momentum.

As the Signia by Hilton hotel prepares to welcome its first guests, we want to compliment what’s happened outside on Georgia Street.

City leaders early this month opened the first section of what will be a three-block overhaul of the street between the Indiana Convention Center and Gainbridge Fieldhouse. The first block to be completed is a pedestrian-only space between Illinois Street and Capitol Avenue — and we like what we see.

The more than 42,000-square-foot area features pet-friendly turf, tables and chairs, benches, space for performances, and lighting.

On Tuesday evening, students from across the country here for an FFA annual meeting were taking in the space and hanging out at the many tables and chairs as they waited for friends or for the next event they needed to attend.

There was no programming that night, but there didn’t need to be. The space is already accomplishing at least part of what it’s supposed to do — offer visitors a clean, safe and attractive space to take a break from their activities.

Of course, we expect Visit Indy, the Indiana Sports Corp. and the organizers of the many events that come to Indianapolis to take full advantage of the space for performances, rallies, parties and more. But it doesn’t need that to feel like an important new asset for Indianapolis.

Once the construction crews clear away from the Signia, the attached Indiana Convention Center expansion and other roadwork nearby, the entire block will become a figurative and literal welcome mat for the tens of thousands of out-of-towners each year.

Congratulations to Mayor Joe Hogsett and the Capital Improvement Board team — with help from Visit Indy, the Downtown Indy Alliance and other partners — who envisioned this project and brought it to fruition. We admit to having been somewhat skeptical in the beginning that Georgia Street needed such an overhaul, but now that we see it, we get the vision.

That means we’re also excited for the city to complete the overhaul of the other two blocks. This month, the city began accepting proposals for the remake of the eastern-most block, between Pennsylvania and Meridian streets.

It makes sense to address that block next. Construction of a Ritz Carlton and Live Nation music venue already have that end of Georgia Street partly blocked and under construction. Overhauling the block there to match the needs of the hotel and Gainbridge Fieldhouse is prudent and will again offer visitors a higher-end experience.

Responses to the proposal for the eastern section are due Nov. 6.

A spokeswoman for the Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development told IBJ this month that the timing for redevelopment of the center block of Georgia Street — between Meridian and Illinois streets — is still to be determined. And she noted that the planned redevelopment of the former Circle Center Mall might impact that area.

That’s a smart decision. But we urge city officials — and whoever might be leading the city after next year’s election — to keep completion of the Georgia Street project on the priority list. It’s a winner.•

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