Urban Indiana

New city-county councilors eager to tackle Indy's challenges

When Dan Boots, an incumbent Democratic councilor who had just been reelected to District 3, took the stage on election night, he called 23-year-old District 4 councilor-elect Nick Roberts the future of the Democratic Party.

"I had a terrible time keeping up with him. He out-raised me, he out-campaigned me," Boots told an audience at Democratic Mayor Joe Hogsett's Kountry Kitchen victory party in November.

Roberts, a rookie candidate, was the second-biggest spender among City-County Council candidates in the 2023 election cycle, just behind President Vop Osili.

More below:
https://www.ibj.com/articles/new-city-county-councilors-eager-to-tackle-indys-challenges

Holcomb's 2024 agenda includes building awareness

At the top of Gov. Eric Holcomb's agenda for his eighth and final year in office is making local elected officials, not-for-profits and other community stakeholders aware of state programs that have been created or expanded during his administration.

That includes everything from apprenticeships and manufacturing readiness grants—which help Indiana companies invest in new technologies—to early learning programs and public health initiatives, Holcomb said.

"What I have come to subscribe to is that most people just don't know," Holcomb told IBJ in a recent interview. "People that do this for a living—philanthropies, foundations, local governments, trustees—they are drowning in a sea of acronyms or programs."

More below:
https://www.insideindianabusiness.com/articles/holcombs-2024-agenda-includes-building-awareness-of-state-programs

Five Indiana education issues to watch in 2024

It may be a new year on the calendar, but January marks the halfway point of the school year and the start of the legislative session in Indiana. And there's no shortage of education news and issues to watch.

Here's five topics we're watching in 2024:

How students learn to read

No surprise here, but reading will likely get a lot of attention, just like in 2023.

Lawmakers passed a new state law in 2023 that requires school districts to adopt a curriculum that's aligned with the science of reading. The law also specifies that districts are no longer allowed to use literacy curriculum that rely mostly on the three-cueing model, in which students use context clues and pictures.

The new law grew out of concerns held by lawmakers and education officials about students' reading ability, and our story about what it means for students, teachers and schools was our most-read story of 2023.

When discussing next year's legislative session, lawmakers said they want to continue to address literacy by looking into Indiana's third grade retention laws for students who don't pass the state reading exam, the IREAD-3.

More below:
https://www.insideindianabusiness.com/articles/five-indiana-education-issues-to-watch-in-2024

State receives $127M grant for FlexRoad project

The Indiana Department of Transportation has received a $127 million grant from the National Infrastructure Project Assistance program to support a major interstate project in northwest Indiana, Gov. Eric Holcomb's office announced Monday.

The funding will support more than half of the cost of the I-80/I-94 FlexRoad project, which aims to make improvements to a 12-mile stretch of the interstate, known as the Borman Expressway.

The $212.5 million project involves identifying Traffic System Management and Operations strategies designed to improve travel times, increase reliability, enhance safety and reduce carbon emissions along the corridor, which runs from I-65 in Gary west to the IL 394 interchange in Cook County, Illinois.

More below:
https://www.insideindianabusiness.com/articles/state-receives-127m-grant-for-flexroad-project

South Bend City Church making progress in Tribune building renovations

As the attention of developers and city officials shifts downtown, South Bend City Church is nearing completion of the first phase of its Tribune Project, a multimillion-dollar renovation of the former South Bend Tribune printing plant at LaSalle Avenue and Lafayette Boulevard.

South Bend City Church purchased the space from former South Bend Tribune owner Schurz Communications last year after learning they wouldn't have the option to renew their lease in the former Studebaker Building 84 further south on Lafayette.

Lead Pastor Jason Miller said both spaces match the church's desire to be a part of the redemption of old spaces.

More below:
https://www.insideindianabusiness.com/articles/south-bend-city-church-looking-to-move-into-renovated-tribune-building

NHanced Semiconductors primed to create 250 jobs in Bloomington

Bloomington will soon be home to a new employer and industry, filling part of a gap in the local economy after Chicago-based NHanced Semiconductors announced a $152 million investment into a Cook Medical facility, which will result in at least 250 high-wage jobs.

The company will turn the mostly vacant Cook property, located at 301 N. Curry Pike, into a microelectronics manufacturing and packaging facility. It will lease the building from Cook.

The Bloomington project meets the needs of NHanced's rapid growth. Founder and President Bob Patti estimates the company will grow 350-to-400% within the next year as the semiconductor industry increases its focus on innovation and specialty production.

More below:
https://www.insideindianabusiness.com/articles/nhanced-semiconductors-primed-to-create-250-jobs-in-bloomington

Plan for outdoor refreshment area in Fort Wayne moves forward

The city of Fort Wayne will now be able to establish designated outdoor refreshment areas, or DORAs, following the approval Tuesday by the Fort Wayne Common Council.

DORAs allow people to carry drinks out of a bar and walk around with them within the area's boundaries, and our partners at WPTA-TV report the city's first one has already been outlined for the downtown area.

The designated area runs from Promenade Park south to Parkview Field through the Harrison Street corridor. Approximately 15 bars and restaurants are included within the DORA's boundaries.

More below:
https://www.insideindianabusiness.com/articles/plan-for-outdoor-refreshment-area-in-fort-wayne-moves-forward

Chicago chocolate company considering move to Portage

A nearly 85-year-old chocolate company based in Chicago could potentially move manufacturing operations to Portage. Our partners at The Times of Northwest Indiana report World's Finest Chocolate has optioned land in the Porter County city, though no concrete plans have been made.

World's Finest Chocolate makes a variety of candy bars for fundraising campaigns, raising more than $150 million annually, according to the company's website. It also produces the Queen Anne Cordial treat.

Spokesperson Jennifer Taylor told The Times the company has a three-year option on land and is in the "very beginning stages of looking at possibly moving there." However, she said, "Nothing is set in stone yet."

More below:
https://www.insideindianabusiness.com/articles/chicago-chocolate-company-considering-move-to-portage

Hogsett says $600M mall revamp gives downtown even more momentum

Indianapolis Mayor Joe Hogsett considers the $600 million plan to redevelop Circle Centre Mall, announced Wednesday, one of the most important development projects the city has taken on in decades.

Wisconsin-based developer Hendricks Commercial Properties LLC is set to lead the effort, after more than a year of discussion and negotiation behind the scenes with the city, the Indiana Economic Development Corp., and—separately—the ownership group of Circle Centre.

"When you're dealing with a $600 million investment, you can't help but put it at the top of the heap ... [of] important investments that will continue the progress and the renaissance that we've already established," Hogsett said.

More below:
https://www.insideindianabusiness.com/articles/hogsett-says-600m-mall-revamp-gives-downtown-even-more-momentum

Hendricks strikes deal to acquire Circle Centre, plans $600M redevelopment

The Wisconsin-based firm behind Bottleworks District has struck a deal to buy most of Circle Centre Mall from its original investors and plans to spend $600 million over the next decade to transform it into an open air, pedestrian-focused campus with housing, offices and shopping.

Hendricks Commercial Properties LLC also has a tentative agreement with Mayor Joe Hogsett's administration that could allow it to acquire the land under the mall, its parking garages and the former L.S. Ayres building at West Washington and South Meridian streets that anchors the mall's northeast corner. 

The details of that non-binding agreement—a term sheet signed in July—will still require the city and Hendricks to come to terms on purchase prices for the city-owned properties as well as other development details. But the agreement—also signed by the Indiana Economic Development Corp.—outlines likely city and state incentives for the proposed project, including at least $64 million in tax credits and partly-forgivable loans.

"We truly believe that Hendricks will be able to make Circle Centre a destination again for downtown Indianapolis," said Dan Parker, chief of staff to Mayor Joe Hogsett. "So, we're incredibly excited about it."

More below:
https://www.ibj.com/articles/hendricks-strikes-deal-to-acquire-circle-centre-plans-600m-redevelopment