Muncie, Planning Firm Ink Redevelopment Agreement
The redevelopment is proposed for the area near Muncie City Hall.
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowThe city of Muncie and Wisconsin-based Vandewalle & Associates have reached a planning and design agreement for a proposed $48 million downtown redevelopment project. The Star Press reports the city and the company have plans to fund the project regardless of whether it receives Indiana Regional Cities dollars.
Winners of the statewide Regional Cities Initiative are expected to be announced next month. ADVANCE East Central Indiana is the name of the proposal that includes the Muncie project. You can connect to full descriptions of all RCI proposals by clicking here. East central Indiana’s plans alone encompassed $148 million in projects, including the work downtown. The publication reports the contract between Muncie and the Wisconsin firm says Vandewalle & Associates will "assist with aggressive lobbying and grant writing for key public improvements if application not awarded."
The downtown revitalization project involves replacing existing buildings near the White River close to City Hall with mixed use residential and retail space and a pedestrian bridge that would point toward the Ball State University campus. The paper also reports a $37 million commercial and cultural trail is also proposed that stretch from Ball State to the city’s south side, and run through the proposed riverfront redevelopment.
The Star Press reports Vandewalle & Associates will prepare the request for proposals to generate a list of potential developers for the riverfront project.