Indianapolis Insight has ushered some exciting new concepts into Marion County’s Comprehensive Plan.  As mentioned in February’s Common Ground, the Indianapolis Insight Issue committees recommended increasing the effectiveness of the plan by redefining a number of land use categories.  One of the new land use categories in the plan is the Village Mixed-Use.

At the dawn of the Automobile Age, the City of Indianapolis made up the center of Marion County and a number of small towns dotted the outer areas.  Since these were fully functioning small towns with their own business districts, institutions and residential areas land uses were more mixed than in the typical modern development.

Although Indianapolis has grown out and around these small towns (or soon will), many of them wish to retain their distinctive character.  However, until now there has been no land use category that readily accommodated these villages.  The Village Mixed-Used category was devised in large part to fill this void.

Village Mixed-Use is commonly used for existing, historically rural, small towns, which wish to continue as neighborhood gathering places.  The category allows a wide range of small businesses, housing types, public and semi-public facilities, open space and light industrial development.

Residential densities in Village Mixed-Use vary from compact single-family residential development and small-scale multi-family residential development near the “Main Street” or “Village Center” and progress to lower densities outward from this core.

Potential development in these areas should focus on design issues related to architecture, building size, parking, landscaping and lighting to promote a pedestrian-oriented “village” or “small town” atmosphere, rather than focusing on residential density.  Commercial strip development, large-scale freestanding retail uses and heavy industrial development are generally inappropriate within this land use category.

Although many of these former small towns were developed around the same time period and share many similarities, each is unique.  The Village Mixed-Use category is intended to preserve these unique qualities.  Within the Comprehensive Plan, the Village Mixed-Use areas will be considered Critical Areas.  This will allow a more detailed description of the area and its preferred preservation, development or redevelopment options.

Village Mixed-Use has been used in all of the four township planning areas that have been updated thus far.  Established locales that have been designated as Village Mixed-Use are the Village of New Augusta, the Town of Clermont, Main Street in Speedway, Main Street in Beech Grove, the historic portion of the City of Southport, Fort Benjamin Harrison, and the central portion of Oaklandon.

The Village Mixed-Use category can also be used in undeveloped areas where the establishment of a village-style development would be desirable.  So far two such areas have been designated: a partially-undeveloped area in Pike Township along Lafayette Road and an undeveloped portion of Lawrence Township in the vicinity of 38th Street and Carroll Road.

Upcoming Comprehensive Land Use Planning meetings are:

Warren Township Planning Area
Monday, July 14, 7:00 p.m.
Warren Township Government Center
501 North Post Road

Warren Township Planning Area
Monday, August 4, 7:00 p.m.
Warren Township Government Center
501 North Post Road

Washington Township Planning Area
Monday, July 28, 7:00 p.m.
Holliday Park Nature Center
6363 Spring Mill Road.

Meetings are open to all Marion County citizens who wish to be involved.   For more information or to be placed on the Indianapolis Insight mailing list, call 327-5155 or visit our website at. 

www.indygov.org/indianapolisinsight