Indianapolis Neighborhood Infrastructure Partnership (INIP) Grant

From the City’s release: “Indy DPW will accept applications proposing public infrastructure improvements from non-profit, community-based organizations for the 2023 Indy Neighborhood Infrastructure Partnership from December 1, 2022 through February 15, 2023. Awards will be made up to a preferred maximum of $500,000 per project, with a total of $2 million to award in this program from Mayor Hogsett’s 2023 budget. Projects conditionally selected to receive funding will be announced in spring 2023, after which time Indy DPW will work with the applicant to refine the scope of their proposed project, formalize a project agreement, and manage the construction of their proposed project.

Full details and grant application are here.”

What could this look like in Nora? 

Examples and Details

Another example

Indy Parks Plan – Your Opportunity for Feedback

At the April Nora Alliance meeting, we gathered input to the Indy Parks, Recreation, and Open Space 5-Year Plan. The DRAFT document linked below is an outcome of that meeting, submitted to Indy Parks in June 2015.

This is an open, transparent, and community-let effort. Like it? Don’t like it? Your comments, constructive criticism, praise, ideas, alternatives, input, and priorities are welcomed!

Please comment below, or on Facebook, Twitter (#noraparksplan), or email by June 3rd, 2015.

Nora-ParksPlanFeedback

(download: https://noraindy.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Nora-ParksPlanFeedback.pdf)

Indy Parks Plan Feedback: What We Heard

Opening & Introductions

Local resident Bob Weaver kicked off the April 28th, 2015, Nora Alliance meeting with introductions and background from the first meeting of the Nora Alliance. We will be soliciting a steering committee to guide the first year of Nora Alliance activities and proactive community planning.

Indianapolis – Marion County Park, Recreation & Open Space 5-Year Plan Community Input

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 look at each township individually. 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.

Tonight we solicited feedback for a community response to the plan. Local resident Jill Saligoe-Simmel gave an overview of Nora-area parks and the Indy Parks planning process, and a discussion followed. The group listed several pros and cons of Nora’s public and private park, open space and recreational facilities.

Idea Gallery

Here’s a summary of what we heard:

  1. The Monon Trail is the prominent feature in our community, however its potential as an anchor feature in the community is not realized to its fullest potential. People identified this as a priority for parks and open space planning, indicating they would like to see more enhancement of the park / greenway as a community asset beyond its use as a recreational thoroughfare. The general consensus is that priority should be placed on a number of small, relatively low cost projects that could be implemented quickly to great effect.
    1. Visually and physically develop the trail from 91st north to at least the YMCA south as the community’s anchor feature, utilizing every available inch of trail ROW for green space, formal and informal gathering spots (i.e., micro-parks), and pocket parks.
    2. Visually and physically develop the Monon Trail at 86th Street road crossing as a safe crossing and community “gateway” feature. Priority should be focused both on addressing immediate safety needs and enhancements with the current crosswalk, as well as developing long-term solutions.
    3. Add public gathering spaces along the trail in this section through land acquisitions and/or joint use agreements for pocket parks adjacent to trail, micro-parks, and potentially a dog park.
    4. Integrate public art into this section of the trail.
    5. Spaces should be inviting, casual, welcoming, and incorporate some small details to surprise/delight/discover (e.g., hidden nooks). Needs to accommodate diverse users, including families with young children, bikers, skaters/rollerbladers, elderly, handicap, etc.
  2. Acquire additional park properties as neighborhood parks to serve families with children. Nora lacks neighborhood parks where families can gather, and kids can run and play.
  3. Implement the Full Circle Greenway Plan 86th/82nd Street Corridor to connect the Monon at 86th Street “gateway” with nearby parks and community assets, such as regional parks and commercial areas (e.g., Town Run Trail Park and Keystone at the Crossing), and planned public transportation projects, e.g., Red Line.
Opportunities

The following opportunities were discussed as community input to the Indy Parks and Open Space 5-Year Plan.

  1. The Monon Trail — Enhance the 86th St. trail crossing
    1. enhance the crosswalk for safety, as well as a visually/aesthetically pleasing community gateway
    2. painted crosswalk? — partner with North Central High School art department to help design and paint a crosswalk as public art, keep it local, show off our colorful community
    3. general maintenance — fix barriers on north side of street and fill pothole in crosswalk
    4. additional landscaping / hardscaping to create a welcoming / enticing environment
    5. improved signage, lighting, and pavement Ped-Xing markings for safety
    6. work with community for long-term plans for a safer crossing solution, e.g., trail bridge and/or other enhanced pedestrian crosswalk solution with traffic calming measures, etc.
  1. The Monon Trail — Develop Micro-Parks and Pocket Parks
    1. develop the small slice of land on trail next to Marsh building (DMD property parcel #8036430)
      1. ideas include: picnic tables, benches, game/chess tables, swing, bike racks, shelter (long and narrow building?) similar to shelter in Broad Ripple, water station, evergreen landscaping
      2. wheelchair accessible connection between south side of parcel and parking lot
    2. incorporate public art along trail – local artisits? sculptures?
    3. explore park partnership with the Indiana Blind School for expanded property access at Monon Trail for pocket park
  1. Explore opportunities to expand existing Indy Parks / IPL joint use agreement on IPL property adjoining the east and west sides of the Monon Trail at 91st St. This property houses a power substation, and although not ideal as park space, the community should be creative in capitalizing on any available open space.
    1. leverage existing Indy Park use agreements, e.g., trail parking lot and paths already in place (there was historic use as softball fields to the south of substation – now retirement apartments) to develop low-impact / non-competing park use on lands adjacent to the trail
    2. ideas include: dog park, skate park, small playground and benches near trail on south side of parking lot, micro-park trail rest stop, small stage for community music in the parks, community gardens, …
    3. property on east side of trail is less developed and has a creek – could it incorporate a low intensity park use? picnic shelters?
    4. explore possibilities with the community
  1. Explore every remaining opportunity to acquire property for neighborhood and pocket parks
    1. there are a few very opportunities left of private undeveloped property in Nora. These should be immediately explored, and if possible acquired, before there are simply no more opportunities left
    2. ideas: property to the north of Marsh only accessible from the Monon Trail? property (which includes woods and floodplain) on 86th St. north of North Central High School? Shortees Golf Course (if it doesn’t get zoning change approval for proposed development)?
  2. Explore enhanced park entrance / access point for Marott Park on Monon Trail side
  3. Explore possible new park entrance / access point for Town Run Trail Park in partnership with Central Indiana Land Trust and its proposed headquarters at Oliver’s Woods
Fill Out the Indy Parks Survey

We encourage you to fill out the Indy Parks Community Input Survey https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/IndyParks

We’re Not Done Yet

The ideas and input represent who we’ve heard from thus far. What are your ideas for parks, greenways and open space in Nora? What are your priorities? Comment below, or on Facebook, or Twitter (#noraparks), and let us know what you would like to see.

 

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.

Northtown Trail Plan

The Northtown Trail is a proposed east-west greenway connection of the Indy Full Circle Greenways Plan. It completes the east-west connection between Fort Harrison State Park and Eagle Creek Park. Along its route, it connects to many neighborhood and community parks, greenways, residential centers, and commercial nodes. It also opens up new recreational access to the White River. Its central section would cross the southern portion of Nora, and includes a proposed trailhead at 75th Street at its intersection with the Monon Trail.

Although the Northtown Trail is new to the greenways master plan, the route had previously been identified in the Indianapolis Bikeways Master Plan as an east-west connection across the north side of the city. Bike lanes are already in place across the entire length and several small sections of sidepaths are either already in place or in the planning process. This plan elevates the design of these sidepaths to the greenways design standard.

Indy Full Circle Greenways Plan

Indy Parks and the Department of Public Works have released the approved Indy Greenways Full Circle Plan.  The master plan is the result of a year-long planning process that included extensive public engagement and input.  It outlines the long-term, comprehensive vision for trail and greenway development in the City.

82nd/86th St Commercial Connector Plan

Indianapolis is in the midst of a revolution in terms of constructing new pedestrian and bicycle facilities, whether they be sidewalks, bike lanes, or sidepaths. There is even a separate Bikeways Master Plan that identifies the long-term vision for providing greater connectivity for the entire city.

The strength of this plan is that it ties the greenway system into that larger system and in the end, this plan is intended to accept and connect to all of those different types of “connections.” During the master planning process, it was determined that a connection to the major commercial centers in the city was desired. One major commercial corridor is the 82nd Street/86th Street corridor extending east and west through Nora.

From the Keystone Fashion Mall, the proposed route crosses 86th Street at the western off ramp of Keystone Avenue and then follows the south side of the street another mile west to the Monon Trail. In this section of the route, the trail passes through residential areas and connects to North Central High School. At the Monon Trail, the route again crosses 86th Street and follows the north side of the street for 6.75 miles, passing several additional commercial centers and neighborhoods continuing to the Traders Point commercial center.

The 82nd/86th Street Commercial Connector provides an opportunity for the greenways to provide pedestrian and bicycle connections to several major commercial areas in the city. Its implementation would provide a unique type of experience in the city. This route is in the very early stages of conceptual development and will need additional study to determine the exact alignment and more detail on how this greenway is incorporated into this high-vehicular volume corridor in the safest manner possible.

Indy Full Circle Greenways Plan

Indy Parks and the Department of Public Works have released the approved Indy Greenways Full Circle Plan.  The master plan is the result of a year-long planning process that included extensive public engagement and input.  It outlines the long-term, comprehensive vision for trail and greenway development in the City.