Sidewalk between Ironworks developments and Keystone Crossing available for use

INDIANAPOLIS (July 16, 2018) – The highly-anticipated sidewalk that connects Ironworks Hotel Indy and Ironworks at Keystone to the Keystone Crossing area is now open for public use.

The sidewalk, which stretches 1,140 feet, begins at the Ironworks developments and runs along the south side of 86th Streetto the Fidelity Investments building located at 8480 Keystone Crossing. Pedestrian crossing signals make the sidewalk safe for passersby.

“The 86th and Keystone area is one of the busiest interchanges in the city,” said Jill Saligoe-Simmel, Nora Alliance board member. “It’s been mostly inaccessible to safe bike and pedestrian traffic. The Nora Alliance is pleased to have an involved community partner like Hendricks Commercial Properties and Ironworks to champion this project. We think it will be a valuable link for recreation, shopping and commuters. Our desire for Nora is for it to be friendly to people including those on bikes, on foot and in cars.”

Hendricks Commercial Properties, the Wisconsin-based developer of Ironworks Hotel Indy and Ironworks at Keystone, worked with the city to install the sidewalk and make the 86th Street region more walkable.

“Connecting the Ironworks developments to Keystone Crossing is a key point of linkage for the city,” said Isaac Bamgbose, vice president of development for Hendricks Commercial Properties. “While there is still room for improvement, we’re excited about this project as it’s the only safe passage space for pedestrians available beneath the Keystone Bridge on 86th Street. Whether for shopping, recreation, or dining, the entire Nora community will benefit greatly from this walkway installation.”

Hendricks Commercial Properties owns more than 9 million square feet of real estate in 30 statesacross the U.S., including 13 buildings in Indiana. Notably, Hendricks Commercial Properties is recognized for its award-winning luxury apartments, Ironworks at Keystone, and Indy’s only independent boutique hotel, Ironworks Hotel. Hendricks Commercial Properties is also spearheading the Bottleworks District project, a transformational $260 million mixed-use redevelopment project of the former Coca-Cola bottling plant on Massachusetts Avenue.

To learn more about Hendricks Commercial Properties, visitwww.hendricksgroup.net. To learn more about Ironworks Hotel Indy, visit www.ironworkshotelindy.comor follow on Twitter, Facebook, Instagramand LinkedIn. To learn more about Ironworks at Keystone, visit www.ironworksindy.comor follow on Twitter and Facebook.

About Ironworks Hotel Indy

Ironworks Hotel Indy is Indianapolis’ first and only north side boutique hotel. The five-story original brick industrial building inspired by 19th century architecture features 120 guest rooms in addition to retail space, and provides a comfortable, eclectic first-class experience for both local guests and travelers.

About Ironworks at Keystone

Ironworks at Keystone is a distinct 5-story mixed use development on the corner of Keystone Avenue and 86thStreet. Inspired by a time when we built things to last, Ironworks at Keystone features nearly 36,000 square feet of fine dining and shopping on the 1stfloor, 120 modern residential apartments for rent on the upper floors. Live, work and play in perfect balance at a place made with strength and stability.

About Hendricks Commercial Properties

For the past 43 years, Hendricks Commercial Properties, headquartered in Beloit, Wis., has been investing in commercial real estate throughout the country. Diane Hendricks, Chairman of the Board, started the company in 1974 with a core focus in multi-family and industrial real estate. Today, the company is a diversified real estate investment, development and management company comprised of more than 9 million square feet with over 800 tenants located in 30 states. The company and its ongoing strategy remains committed to continually growing a highly diversified Class A portfolio with its core asset focus being industrial, retail and urban mixed-use commercial real estate.

Indy Moves! Nora, We Need Your Input!

Neighbors, here is our opportunity to let the City know what Nora’s priorities are for walking, bicycling, driving, and transit.

IndyMoves-Project_Map

Indy Moves interactive map. Public ideas are in bright pink.

What is Indy Moves?

Indy Moves is a citywide effort to tie together Indianapolis’ many transportation plans and projects and establish an action plan that keeps us all moving for years to come. It will connect Indianapolis’ transportation goals, plans, and projects into an integrated mobility future. This includes the bicycle network, pedestrian network, trails and greenways, street expansion plans, and bus/bus rapid transit plans. Learn more here.

Your Input Is Needed!

Indy Moves is making the final push to get comments from the community on the Draft Capital Plan. An interactive map will let you comment on proposed projects, add new project ideas, and vote for your favorites. Share your thoughts on the project ideas that have been submitted and add your own. We want to know what projects matter most to you and which you think are most important for our future.

Here’s How You Can Help

  1. Log into the interactive map (you do not need an account to log in).
  2. Zoom to Nora (and your neighborhood) to view proposed project ideas (shown in bright pink).
  3. The Nora Alliance has added project ideas gathered from the Nora  Pedestrian Planning Meeting last Fall. Click on a project to view and “Like” the projects you deem important.
  4. Add new projects and comments that you think are needed.

Be sure to submit your comments before the online map closes March 20th

CLICK HERE to share your feedback on projects!

A New Club is Organizing in Nora and You’re Invited: Nora Kiwanis Satellite Club

What’s that? A new kind of Kiwanis Club is organizing in Nora, and it might not be what you’d expect. Read more

Plant Donations Needed: 86th Street Trailhead

Read more

86th Street Trailhead 2017 Beautification Project

Read more

Nora’s 86th St / Keystone Bridge Gateway Beautification Project

What would a nice gateway to Nora look like? With your help, we will work with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful to answer that question.

The Keystone Avenue Bridge at 86th Street, currently under construction, serves as a gateway to the Nora community. However, the bridge, exit ramps, and surrounding land have been neglected for years, collecting trash, invasive plants, and the occasional homeless person camping out in the overgrown wooded areas. With the construction of the Keystone Bridge, we have an opportunity to give this area a facelift.

Project Background
Keep Indianapolis Beautiful was contacted a few times in the past year or two by neighbors in the Nora community asking if they could do anything to help with beautifying the ugly Keystone Bridge at 86th Street interchange. They were exploring the idea, then the bridge construction came up offering some opportunity to get engaged. The Nora Alliance will organize two community meetings in mid-July and August to help Keep Indianapolis Beautiful gather input on design plans for the interchange, with the following objectives:
  • to engage the Nora community in proactive planning with the assistance of Keep Indianapolis Beautiful
  • to help address the homeless population that are living in this area from time to time
  • to meet the community wants and needs with a design based on community input
  • to determine what gets put in place in areas that have already been cleared by the construction process
  • to determine how to maintain wildlife / greenspace as desired by the community
  • to determine a tree maintenance plan so newly planted trees are maintained and thrive after construction crew is gone (these do not otherwise have a maintenance plan, and trees often die after the construction phase)
  • to work with Keep Indianapolis Beautiful to help in the planning and design phase, and then in seeking funding to implement the plan

The goal for the July meeting is for a designer to capture what is important to the community at this space so a design can be created. The goal for the August meeting is for the designer to come back with a rough drawing capturing feedback from July and gather final feedback before getting a solid plan to go forth with.

Dates and times for the meetings are still being determined. Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns about the project. Stay tuned for more information!

Off-street trail in Nora, Indianapolis

Nora’s College Avenue Trail Approved and Funded

We learned this week that the College Avenue Trail in Nora has been funded as part of the RebuildIndy 2 projects. While the project was originally approved, it lost its funding and was cancelled last winter. Recent funding was acquired and the project was again added to the list of approved projects announced last week.

The project will provide a safe pedestrian off-street trail along this often congested section of College Ave. that has no sidewalks or shoulder.

RebuildIndy is Mayor Greg Ballard’s initiative to restore deteriorating streets, sidewalks and bridges as well as address neighborhood drainage and flooding issues. This investment continues to transform neighborhoods throughout Indianapolis.

Getting an off-street pedestrian trail or new sidewalks in a community can take years of hard work. Indeed, for the past 3- to 4- years several people in Nora have been advocating for an off-street trail along College Avenue between 86th Street and 91st Street. Some of the people involved in spearheading the trail include George Robinson, former athletic director at First Baptist Church, Barry Wood, and members of Hope Church. It serves as an example of what community pro-active planning can achieve.

Early details on the project are provided by Benjamin Easley, Public Information Officer / Department of Public Works:

  • This project will indeed be bid for construction in July and completely built by the end of the year.
  • The College Avenue Trail will be an off-street asphalt trail similar to the one on 91stStreet.  The trail on 91st Street narrows down to a sidewalk at 91st/College
  • There will be a crosswalk connection at the signal at 91st/College.
  • The College Ave trail will be on the west side of the road.
  • There will be pedestrian signals at 86th/College as well as 91st/College.

Thanks to ReBuildIndy, DPW, and all the people involved in making this trail happen.

If You Could Design Nora’s Future Parks…

What would it look like?

Indy Parks Begins 5-Yr Master Planning: Washington Township

On March 4th, 2015, Indy Parks kicked off their master planning process for Washington Township. While the master plan will be for the entire city, their approach will be to look at each township individually.

Now is the time to get involved in the process for Washington Township!

Indy Parks Master Plan

The parks department evaluates the path their extensive park system will take every five years. The goal of this project is to engage the community, leadership and stakeholders in a meaningful and innovative public input process to build a shared vision for parks and recreation that supports the economic and community goals of the City of Indianapolis. PROS Consulting is a nationally recognized firm, headquartered in Indianapolis and will lead Indy Parks to a great sustainable plan to move forward.

The duration of the project from start to finish is 10 months with an anticipated completion date by December 2015.

This is a community-input driven process and the outcome and future recommendations will be driven by the needs and vision articulated by the community members.

Through the ‘Participate’ section on the Plan Indy Parks website – www.planindyparks.com, you can provide open ended suggestions, respond to the online survey, know the dates for open public meetings and even share feedback through social media on Facebook and Twitter.

First Baptist Athletics Spring Sports Calendar Posted

Check out the FBA Sports Calendar.
“The primary goal of FBA is to provide an environment which is conducive to learning sports fundamentals, good team work, and respect.  Winning is a goal, but not the goal.  FBA offers the best in youth sports in Indianapolis.  Not only do we have a sound philosophy counter to a youth sports culture that can be overwhelming and over competitive for kids and families, but our space is a place where individuals from all backgrounds find a since of community amongst each other.  FBA prides itself in having families from diverse religious, racial, and social economical backgrounds not only participating in our programs, but also serving in positions of leadership from coaching, volunteering, to serving on our staff and Board of Directors.”
FBA’s motto The Place for Good Sports illustrates that we can use athletics to teach children life-long implications:
  • The importance of teamwork and fair play
  • Respect for others
  • Being a gracious winner or loser
  • Conflict resolution
  • Taking responsibility for one’s own actions
Conveniently located on the corner of 86th and College, less than a quarter mile from N. Meridian Street, all of our sports leagues are offered at one location.  You will never have to travel to another facility for practice or games.
Image source: FBA facebook page