City officials can’t ignore the questions and concerns about downtown. Maybe the Mile Square taxing district wasn’t the right answer to address the problems. But we’re eager to find out what is.
Most Republicans, along with six Democrats, voted against the proposal, which would have created an economic improvement district in the Mile Square.
The petitioners advocating for the Mile Square district’s passage have just barely garnered the amount of signatures required by law to advance the proposal.
With time running out, Downtown Indy gathered enough signatures to present to the City-County Council, which ultimately will vote on the proposal to charge downtown property owners for beautification and other services.
Downtown Indy officials say they are hopeful that they will get the petitions necessary to create an economic improvement district by a self-imposed deadline of Friday.
Suddenly, Downtown Indy’s quest to create an economic improvement district in the Mile Square faces a major new obstacle.
While we support creating an EID and applaud Downtown Indy’s championing of the effort, we understand the reluctance of some property owners to support it until they get a clearer explanation of how the money would be used.
Downtown Indy is encountering resistance from some big property owners to its plan to create an economic improvement district that would raise about $3 million annually through a fee.
Property owners are voting on establishing a precisely targeted district that would help them pay for improvements to the up-and-coming neighborhoods.
Residents in the neighborhood have created an Economic Improvement District—a tactic that the trendier neighborhoods of Fountain Square and Mass Ave have not been able to accomplish.
A Fountain Square group led by neighborhood business owners hopes to create an “economic improvement district” for the up-and-coming neighborhood, where additional tax revenue could be used for everything from litter cleanup and marketing to capital improvements.
