The North Meridian Street Corridor - 16th Street to 30th Street
Land Use Plan
RESOLUTION 08-CPS-R-002
Amending the Near North/Fall Creek Plan (1993)
and
the Citizens/King Park Neighborhood Plan (2001)
June 18, 2008
City of Indianapolis Department of Metropolitan Development Division of Planning
08-CPS-R-002 The North Meridian Street Corridor - 16th Street to 30th Street Land Use Plan
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1. Project Area The North Meridian Street Corridor - 16th Street to 30th Street Land Use Plan area is approximately a 250 acre area located along Meridian Street north of downtown Indianapolis. It is bounded by 30th Street on the north, the first alley east of Pennsylvania Street on the east, 16th Street on the south, and the first alley west of Illinois Street on the west. See Map 1.
2. Purpose The purpose of this plan is to document proposed changes to the Marion County Comprehensive Plan. The segments of the Comprehensive Plan that currently set land use policy for this area are the Near North/Fall Creek Plan, (See Map 2) adopted by the Metropolitan Development Commission in1993 and the Citizens/King Park Neighborhood Plan, (See Map 3) adopted in 2001. The adoption of this plan will amend the land use portions of these two plans. The reason for this amendment is to provide updated land use recommendations for the portion of the North Meridian Corridor that is included in the Regional Center overlay zoning ordinance area. Terminology and land use categories that are consistent with the Indianapolis Regional Center Plan 2020, which was adopted in 2004, are necessary so that the recently developed Indianapolis Regional Center Design Guidelines may be applied to this area. These guidelines are intended to support and enhance the Regional Center Zoning approval process, established in 1970 with the adoption of the Regional Center overlay zoning ordinance. As a part of the process to prepare the Indianapolis Regional Center Design Guidelines, eight distinct geographic districts or typologies were identified based on the common characteristics of each area. The guidelines are tailored to these districts. Another purpose of the North Meridian Street Corridor - 16th Street to 30th Street Land Use Plan is to identify and describe the geographic districts or typologies that have been identified for the North Meridian Corridor area.
3. Project Description a. History
Meridian Street has been a vital link in the development of the Indianapolis northside since it was opened by settlers' axes and horse teams in the 1800s. It has matured and become a major urban highway. Following are highlights of the history of Meridian, Illinois and Pennsylvania Streets: 1820 - Alexander Ralston's original survey plan for a mile-square city calls for three core north-south streets, Meridian, Pennsylvania and Illinois.
08-CPS-R-002 The North Meridian Street Corridor - 16th Street to 30th Street Land Use Plan
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1836 - The City outgrows its mile-square boundaries. Surveyor William Sullivan and engraver/publisher W. Woodruff of Cincinnati publish a survey map of the expanded city showing an extension of the Corridor. 1840 - Gravel topping is added to the dirt surface. 1855 - High quality residential development moves north of the Circle along Meridian, the first indication that the wealthy, influential and socially prominent residents are moving northward. 1895 - Annexation of North Indianapolis (south of Fall Creek) extends city services to the prestigious northside homes. 1910 - The first significant commercial growth north of the Circle is established. As time progresses, homes are replaced or reused as commercial establishments. 1913 - A major flood washes out the bridge at Meridian and Fall Creek. Landscape Architect George Kessler designs a replacement, a replica of the Ponte Vittorio Emanuele Bridge over the Tiber River in Rome. 1920 - High quality single and multi-family housing booms northward. 1927 - Construction of the Marott Hotel and other nearby apartment buildings. 1929 - Stock market crash and subsequent curtailment of development. 1940s - Luxury apartment development along "apartment row," near 30th St. Late 1940s-early 1950s - Quality development maintained but demolition outpaces new development. 1950s-1960s - Continued demolition and trend to "modernize" facades with stainless steel, glass, and bright-colored materials. Late 1960s-mid-1970s - Flight of tenants to suburbs. Real estate is cheap. Mid-1970 - present - Cycle reverses; Corridor becomes more attractive; land and real estate values increase as a result of new construction and redevelopment.
08-CPS-R-002 The North Meridian Street Corridor - 16th Street to 30th Street Land Use Plan
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1978 - Near North Development Corporation is established. Near North is generally oriented along North Meridian Street in downtown Indianapolis and north to 40th Street. The CDC has played a major role in numerous commercial and residential revitalization projects in the North Meridian Corridor area. 1982 - North Meridian Corridor Development Plan adopted by the Metropolitan Development Commission. 1983 - As a follow-up to the adoption of the North Meridian Corridor Development Plan, the North Meridian Street Corridor from the Regional Center to 30th Street is added to the Regional Center overlay zoning ordinance area. 1993 - The Near North/Fall Creek Plan is adopted by the Metropolitan Development Commission providing land use recommendations for the western portion of the North Meridian Street Corridor 16th Street to 30th Street area. 2001 - The Citizens/King Park Neighborhood Plan is adopted by the Metropolitan Development Commission providing land use recommendations for the eastern portion of the North Meridian Street Corridor - 16th Street to 30th Street area.
b. Land Use Relationships The North Meridian Street Corridor - 16th Street to 30th Street area is surrounded by commercial, institutional, and multi-family residential areas to the north, single-family residential areas to the east, commercial and institutional areas to the south and commercial, institutional, and single-family residential areas to the west.
c. Project Area and Vicinity Assets There are several public and private institutions in the vicinity of the North Meridian Street Corridor - 16th Street to 30th Street area. They include the Neighborhood Resource Center, Methodist Hospital, the Catholic Center, the Library Service Center, two city parks, and Indiana Vocational Technical College. In addition, neighborhood organizations in the area include Mapleton-Fall Creek Neighborhood Association, Meridian-Highland Neighborhood Association, Highland Vicinity Neighborhood Association, Herron-Morton Place Association, Citizens Neighborhood Coalition, Fall Creek Place Homeowners Association, and the Old Northside Neighborhood Association. The Near North Development Corporation, established in 1978, is the community development corporation in operation in this area. See Map 4. Meridian, Illinois and Pennsylvania are all major commuter streets.
08-CPS-R-002 The North Meridian Street Corridor - 16th Street to 30th Street Land Use Plan
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d. Existing Land Use Land use in the North Meridian Street Corridor - 16th Street to 30th Street area is mixed with primarily office, retail, and institutional uses lining Meridian Street with residential uses on the eastern and western edges. See Map 5.
4. Proposed Plan The North Meridian Street Corridor - 16th Street to 30th Street Land Use Plan (See Map 6) proposes the following land uses for the area:
MEDIUM-DENSITY MIXED-USE The general character of these areas is expected to be street-level retail with office or residential above. Development densities should reflect a floor area ratio of 5:1 or less. Specifically, the following types of uses will be encouraged: • Medium-density housing 16-49 Dwelling Units per Acre (DUA). • Theaters (movie and live performance). • Business services and professional offices (non-industrial) such as
architectural, law, accounting, medical, advertising, commercial art and graphic design, interior decorators and designers, commercial photography and branch banks.
• Restaurants. • Membership organizations such as chambers of commerce, bar
associations, athletic associations, labor unions, alumni associations and clubs.
• Personal services such as barber and beauty shops, dry cleaners, and shoe repair shops.
NON-CORE COMMERCIAL Uses will generally be commercial retail and service uses that are not necessarily linked with one neighborhood and may be used by worker, visitor and resident populations. The following uses would typically be found in this category: • Restaurants. • Hotels and motels. • Personal services such as dry-cleaning. • Retail uses such as grocery and drug stores.
NON-CORE OFFICE Uses will generally be single-owner office and professional service uses that are not necessarily linked with one neighborhood and may be used by worker, visitor and resident populations. Ancillary street-level commercial
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may be included. The following uses would typically be found in this category: • Single owner offices. • Organizations and professional services. RESIDENTIAL • 50+ Dwelling Units per Acre
High- and mid-rise apartments that typically would include garage parking and other on-site amenities. Street-level retail sales and services such as restaurants, gift shops, florists and bookstores should be a component of this category.
• 27-49 Dwelling Units per Acre Low-rise (usually under four stories) apartments. Street-level development as described in "50+ DUA" category is also appropriate.
• 16-26 Dwelling Units per Acre Garden apartments and townhouses.
• 6-15 Dwelling Units per Acre Single-family, two-family and townhouses.
PARKS AND OPEN SPACE There are three primary categories within the Parks and Open Space land use designation: • Building related spaces. • Neighborhood parks. • Corridors.
PUBLIC AND SEMI-PUBLIC This land use category primarily includes publicly-owned and institutional properties. Because many of these uses support other nearby uses, they may be located in areas with different land use designations: • Places of worship. • Schools. • City, county, state and federal facilities. • Public utilities. • Theaters (non-profit live performance). • Nursing homes. • Hospitals. • Union halls. • Fraternities, sororities and lodges. • Libraries. • Community centers.
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5. District Typologies The following four district typologies have been identified for the North Meridian Street Corridor - 16th Street to 30th Street Land Use Plan area (See Map 7):
Urban Mixed-Use (UMU) Similar to the Urban Core typology, the Urban Mixed-Use typology contains mixed-uses in an urban configuration, but not to the density and scale of those found in the Downtown core. Urban Mixed-Use development is often in smaller town centers or in newer planned development. The environment is generally pedestrian oriented while accommodating the automobile and supporting mass transit. Village Mixed-Use (VMU) The Village Mixed-Use typology occurs on commercial corridors with mixed-use development. Building ground floors are primarily retail shops with a possibility of specialized uses such as arts, entertainment venues, inns, and some higher-density residential development. The environment is pedestrian in nature with links to transit. Retail shops are supported primarily by the surrounding neighborhood. Massachusetts Avenue is an example of this typology. Neighborhood Residential (NR) The Neighborhood Residential typology occurs in neighborhoods with houses that are medium-density and primarily pre-WWII construction or areas of new housing construction developed in a similar pattern. Homes are in single-family, townhome or apartment configurations. Parcels are typically deep with narrow street frontage. Homes have small setbacks and front yards. The environment is pedestrian in nature. Herron-Morton Place is an example of the Neighborhood Residential typology. Campus (C) The Campus typology is characterized by a campus-style orientation of buildings, often organized around a central node such as a plaza or open space. The environment is pedestrian in nature and usually master-planned. Parking is clustered in garages, but there may be large surface parking lots at the edges of the development. There is typically a single educational, corporate, or government owner. Examples are the Lilly Corporate Center, IUPUI and Medical Center, the Indiana Government Center, and IVY Tech.
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