By Sonya Seeder, City of Indianapolis
The beginning of 2022 will see the opening of the Community Justice Campus (CJC) at Twin Air with many agencies moving out of the City County Building before the end of the year. The Assessment and Intervention Center at the CJC opened in late 2020. Beyond the community benefit of consolidated access to services, the CJC is exciting because it was the beginning of a boom in government buildings. Indy’s building boom won’t stop at the opening of the CJC campus. Over the next three years, the city is expected to build multiple new government buildings and a handful of parks facilities.
Circle City Forward
Mayor Hogsett announced the Circle City Forward public investment initiative in February 2021. The initiative consists of a $190 million to upgrade critical government facilities. This includes investments in neighborhoods, infrastructure and government buildings. Not only will Circle City Forward allow the city to build new buildings, it will boost the economy by creating jobs. Additionally, each of the projects utilizes women and/or minority owned businesses in some capacity.
The following buildings are expected to be constructed with Circle City Forward dollars over the course of the next three years:
Coroner’s Office
Expected budget: $16.7 million
Estimated completion: Q3 2023
Replaces current leased space on McCarty St. with new facility located near CJC
Forensics Crime Lab
Expected budget: $30 million
Estimated completion: Q3 2023
Replaces current space at current Marion County Jail with new facility located near CJC
Indianapolis Fire Dept. Station 32
Expected budget: $7.5 million
Land search underway to replace current Station 32 at 6330 Guilford Ave.
DPW Solid Waste Garage
Expected budget: $10 million
Replace current 70-year-old solid waste garage
Youth & Family Services Center
Expected budget: $40 million
Estimated completion: Q4 2023
Replaces juvenile courts and detention center with new facility on CJC site
Animal Care Services Shelter
Expected budget: $19 million
Replaces current shelter located at 2600 S Harding St. with new facility located at Sherman Park
Parks Upgrades
$45 million of upgrades to Grassy Creek, Krannert, Riverside and Douglass Parks
The initiative will allow for substantial investment in government facilities without increasing the tax burden on the average Marion County homeowner. Bond resolutions for the projects were presented to the City-County Council on August 9, 2021.
Other Projects on the Horizon
The City is expanding beyond the Circle City Forward initiatives. There are also plans to build an IMPD property room on the same site as the new Coroner’s Office and Forensics Crime Lab. Additionally, the Clerk and Election Board are expected to have new facilities built by 2023.
Future of the City-County Building
With the opening of the CJC and the building of so many new government buildings, the City-County Building will be losing approximately 50 percent of its current tenants. The building, built in 1962, consists of a 27-story tower, two seven-story building wings, an underground parking garage and Lugar Plaza, a 1.94 acre open air plaza. Given the building’s age, it needs extensive renovations. The city is faced with a decision; to renovate and bring in new tenants or to sell or lease the building for adaptive redevelopment? This is a question the City Controller, Ken Clark, hopes to have answered by the end of the year.
The next three years promise to be an exciting time for city government as its building boom continues.
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