Articles

Five-o-clock, time for bar news

An upscale martini bar and restaurant has signed a deal to take the anchor retail space at 757 Mass Ave, the luxury condo building at the southwest corner of Massachusetts and College avenues….

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Student-housing tower planned

A team of local developers is hoping to build a 550-bed, 16-story apartment tower near the IUPUI campus. The $40 million project, dubbed Paramount Tower, would target the lucrative student-housing market….

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Tower’s history revealed

Contractors uncovered a bit of history this week as they continued renovation work at One Indiana Square, the 36-story office tower at Ohio and Pennsylvania streets. The work revealed parts…

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Solving the tax debate

Gov. Mitch Daniels has proposed capping residential property taxes at 1 percent of a homeâ??s assessed value,
rental properties at 2 percent and businesses at 3 percent.

Now state Sen. Luke Kenley says the bipartisan commission on taxes he heads will…

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Catching up: Simon honored

The Simon Property Group Headquarters took top honors at Keep Indianapolis Beautiful’s A Monumental Affair awards last week. The 30-year-old contest honors the city’s best architecture, development and construction. Last year’s top…

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West-side group promotes ethnic eateries: Will visitors see gems among strip malls?

The Lafayette Square neighborhood is known for its aging mall and the ongoing struggle to keep tenants there and in the surrounding sea of strip centers. But some advocates want to promote a success story: the demographic diversity that has given rise to a plethora of ethnic eateries in the area. Visitors who take a trip through some of the retail centers and outlots off West 38th Street can find the ubiquitous pizza, gyros and sushi-along with more unusual Ethiopian,…

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Glut of local golf courses puts squeeze on owners: Demand has never quite met expectations

Tiger Woods, the world’s No. 1 golfer, has been great for the sport. But he has not helped attract enough players to the game here and across the country to keep pace with the numbers who are stepping away because of age. That means many local golf course owners are closing the books on another tough season. Some area owners have seen the number of rounds played decline 40 percent since 2000. Golf course values here, meanwhile, have slid about…

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High-rise in works near canal

A strong demand for student housing downtown is driving a $40 million plan for a high-rise apartment tower a couple of blocks
east of the Central Canal. The developer, a partnership of Fishers-based Paramount Realty Group and Indianapolis-based Alboher
Development Co. Inc., hopes to build the 16-story Paramount Tower on a OneAmerica parking lot.

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A downtown transformation

A development team is finalizing plans for a $480 million mixed-use project that calls for condos, as many as three hotels, a theater and 175,000 square feet…

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Fresh Market rendering

Several people have asked about renderings of the new Fresh Market at 54th and College. The best I can do for now is this color elevation. The top image is the view from 54th Street and shows the entrance for…

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New life at 71st and Binford

The once-blighted corner of 71st Street and Binford Boulevard continues to attract redevelopment attention, thanks in large part to the efforts of neighborhood group Binford Redevelopment And Growth, or BRAG. Developers plan to…

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New mayor, now what?

Real estate developers today are trying to sort out the implications of a major upset in the mayor’s race. The mayor-elect, Republican Greg Ballard (pictured), didn’t reveal much about his philosophy on…

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Old Builder’s Square finally leased

The empty big-box Builder’s Square near Lafayette Square Mall finally has a new tenant after sitting vacant more than 10 years. Garden Ridge, a Texas-based home-decor chain, plans to take the 110,000-square-foot…

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A new ‘Landmark’ in Lockerbie

A local developer hopes to break ground next month on an $11.5-million condo project along East Street between Ohio and New York streets. Landmark of Lockerbie would feature 16 loft units,…

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Now solo, VP set to expand

Convenience store stalwart Village Pantry has launched a $15 million plan to renovate 146 stores and is eyeing acquisitions
that could double the chain’s size in three years. The moves come as Village Pantry separates from parent Marsh Supermarkets
Inc., a company that for years treated the convenience-store division as a redheaded stepchild.

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ECONOMIC ANALYSIS: It’s time to use mass-appraisal model on state’s homes

In the 10 years since Indiana’s property-appraisal system was ruled unconstitutional, taxpayers have spent perhaps $1 billion to remedy the situation. That’s more than $350 per household, and more than we spend on environmental protection each year. “Wowser” is the only printable exclamation I can muster. Among other things, Gov. Mitch Daniels’ tax plan proposes the elimination of the township assessors (there are 1,008 offices statewide). According to a 2004 Chamber of Commerce study, streamlining the system would result in…

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BEHIND THE NEWS: Smooth sailing for Simon, despite economic squall?

Retail pundits are trotting out all the downbeat analogies these days, as they fret that high gas prices and the slumping housing market will crimp consumer spending the rest of the year. As Carl Steidtmann, chief economist at Deloitte Research, put it, “The holiday season will be somewhat Grinch-like.” So it may come as a surprise that some analysts are almost gushing about the prospects for Simon Property Group Inc., the nation’s largest mall owner. As Rich Moore, managing director…

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Fast-growing WDG built on years of industry experience: Veteran of Kite, Lauth branches out on his own

For Mike Wyman, a devastating fire that gutted the family home during his teen-age years laid the foundation for a rewarding career in construction. The 41-year-old Wyman climbed from carpenter to become a leader of projects at two of the city’s largest commercial developers before launching his own company in 2005. WDG Construction & Development Services Inc. on East Washington Street downtown has since grown into a firm that expects to top $30 million in revenue next year-double this year’s…

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Turf war unfolds in Babe Denny neighborhood

A long-neglected neighborhood south of downtown called Babe Denny suddenly is in the spotlight, attracting attention from
city planners, code enforcers, land speculators and a politically connected attorney.

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Update on the Circle Truss

What do you think of the Circle Truss proposal? The 280-foot-tall, $10-million stainless steel structure, designed by Kevin K. Parsons & Associates Inc., would be lined with LED lights lit with colors…

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