Fall Creek Place Development

Column: July 18, 2004

Sanford E. Garner, McANA Director for Center Township, Partner in A2SO4 Architecture, and Herron-Morton Place resident, wrote the following article for a special Indianapolis Star Focus on Neighborhoods.

Fall Creek Place is very near and dear. My wife and I lived there prior to its redevelopment and we now live in Herron-Morton (just south of it). My sister and brother as well as many friends and associates live there. My involvement with Fall Creek Place began in 1998. From 1997 to 2000, I was a City employee and helped develop the guidelines utilized in the development. Then, my prior firm was blessed to be the Master Designer for Fall Creek Place in 2001. I have a lot of history as it pertains to Fall Creek Place, both personal and professional.

I am often asked the question "Could Fall Creek Place be replicated elsewhere." My response is always the same. No, its circumstances were so unique. However, many of the ideologies could be incorporated elsewhere.

What makes Fall Creek Place so special is not just the vibrant, revitalized neighborhood that many now call home. It is also the partnership which helped birth it. Initially possible through a United States Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) grant, it took several years to begin and complete planning. The City was then able to under-gird the project with such partners as Citizens Gas, Historic Landmarks Foundation of Indiana, Mansur, King Park, and some banks and leading entities that all came together with one unified vision – the redevelopment and success of the Fall Creek Place. The City then engaged a number of builders, the majority of which were small, to build the building prototypes.

Fall Creek Place also bucked Urban Renewal trends of demolition and new construction. Instead, existing dilapidated homes were renovated and infill housing was constructed. The prototypes were complementary and respectful of the existing community.

There were areas of concern, one was gentrification. Fall Creek Place is an Home Ownership Zone, thus it was developed with homeownership in mind. Interestingly though, 51 percent of all the homes built are for people with below medium income.

Another was the Combine Sewer Overflow (CSO). As infrastructure was redeveloped, the CSO was also corrected in the area. Unfortunately, only a portion of the CSO has been corrected and until correction can occur further south, it will not be complete in this area. The last issue was the builders themselves. While it was a wonderful boost for some, it was a bane for others. Whatever cause, some builder's were not able to continue building in Fall Creek Place for various reasons.

Fall Creek Place was as a complicated mix of alliances between government, businesses, and neighborhood entities to create a unified vision culminating in a perfect blend of new meets old, cosmopolitan and vintage. While the redevelopment of Fall Creek Place was not infallible, the process was appropriate, and product is impeccable. Fall Creek Place as an Home Ownership Zone was the appropriate thing to do. It ensured a vested base to recreate a vibrant community and become good old fashioned neighborhood living amid the bustle of the city.