Mayor Greg Ballard pushes urban revival in Indianapolis
Mayor Greg Ballard on Thursday evoked an image of Indianapolis as a dynamic Midwestern metropolis teeming with creative young professionals Downtown and middle-class families enjoying an array of cultural activities in safe, bustling neighborhoods.
In his State of the City address, delivered at the University of Indianapolis, Ballard outlined a vision to attract thousands of new residents to the city to help increase the tax base and a plan to rebuild neighborhoods with their own small business districts.
At the same time, the mayor acknowledged the city’s rising homicide rate, saying, “Violence is robbing us of an entire generation of young men of color, and it must stop.”
“No factor influences livability more than making sure people feel safe at work, in their neighborhoods and in their homes,” the two-term Republican mayor said in his 30-minute address, the seventh of his tenure.
Part of the mayor’s plan calls for hiring 80 more police officers this year.
Democratic City-County Council member John Barth said he was pleased to hear Ballard address neighborhood improvements and crime but said he fell short of specific solutions on both counts.
“I didn’t hear a comprehensive, long-term strategy for tackling this violent one-and-a-half year murder surge, and I think his development plan is still too focused on Downtown, as opposed to the neighborhoods,” Barth said.
Ballard tried to stress cohesive improvements across the city that would complement each other and give residents more lifestyle and entertainment choices.
“Cities across America are experiencing an urban revival,” Ballard said. “A growing number of people are choosing to live local, shop local and eat local. They want access to an authentic urban lifestyle, and they want it right outside their front door.
“Quite simply, I want people to have a difficult time choosing between our many great neighborhoods.”
Part of the plan was unveiled earlier this week, when Ballard’s office announced that it would invest $5 million to rebuild Tarkington Park at 39th and Illinois streets to spur business redevelopment and attract families. Ballard also cited a 28-story luxury apartment building Downtown planned at the site of the old Market Square Arena as another example to draw young professionals and spur more development.
To entice new workers, the city will aggressively work to improve public schools, attack crime, revitalize the city core and increase the number and variety of cultural offerings across Indianapolis, the mayor said.
The mayor said strong educational programs were key to attracting families and announced a three-part plan to boost early childhood education.
“The city is working to appropriate funds to participate in the state’s early education grant program,” Ballard said. “These grants will support the expansion of early learning options in our city and ultimately enable more low-income 3- and 4-year-olds to access top-notch programs.”
He said the city was participating in a pilot program to provide parents information about more than 600 early childhood education centers in the city and has asked the Indy Chamber to lead a study of the impact of early childhood education on the economy.
The mayor’s neighborhood strategy will include rebuilding streets and sidewalks with $350 million in state transportation funds, which the mayor called RebuildIndy 2, a follow-up to his earlier infrastructure improvement plan.
“It is not a radical concept.” Ballard said. “RebuildIndy 2 will allow us to build sidewalks to keep children safe. It will allow us to resurface every road in the city that needs it most. It will repair bridges, build new trails and upgrade parks.”
Council President Maggie Lewis, a Democrat, said, “I like what he said about education. But I’ve got a bit of a problem with the RebuildIndy plan.”
Lewis and council Democrats have objected to a plan by Ballard to issue bonds that cost nearly $200 million to pay for infrastructure repairs.
Ballard also said the city is hiring 80 more police officers this year after the homicide rate reached its highest level last year since 2006 and is off to an even more torrid pace this year. He said more cops have been assigned to street duty, and the department is quickly updating its technology to make chasing criminals easier.
He also said rapes, aggravated assaults, shootings and home break-ins were down.
“Most of our neighborhoods are extremely safe, but there are some areas where we face considerable challenges, and I know a few high-profile crimes have caused people to worry,” the mayor said.
Police Chief Rick Hite said, “I think we are on the right path, and the mayor did a good job of highlighting that.”
Call Star reporter John Tuohy at (317) 444-6418. Follow him on Twitter: @john_tuohy.
In the works
The city is working on several development projects to make the city more attractive to young professionals and families. They include:
• A high-rise apartment building at the site of the old Market Square Arena. The $81 million project would have 300 apartments, a parking garage, and a grocery store and other retail on the first floor.
• A $20 million transit hub Downtown on the south side of Washington Street between Delaware and Alabama streets.
• A $30 million residential and retail development in Broad Ripple that would include a Whole Foods store and 119 apartments.
• More than $5 million in improvements to Tarkington Park at 39th and Illinois streets, including several play areas, basketball courts and spaces for concerts and farmers markets.