City kicking in $5M toward reuse plan for Bush Stadium

City officials are sharing new details of a plan to redevelop Bush Stadium into more than 250 apartment units, while preserving the stadium's façade. Local developer John Watson plans to reuse parts of the existing stadium for some of the units and add additional apartments in what had been the outfield. A rendering suggests the $23 million project will preserve the stadium lights and restore the baseball diamond, which was dismantled as the stadium was used as a midget-car race track and later as a dumping ground for vehicles collected under the Cash for Clunkers program. Rental rates for the units will range from $480 to $1,400 per month. The project is expected to be complete by August 2013. The city is contributing about $5 million, including tax dollars generated in the area and more that will be transferred from the consolidated downtown tax-increment financing district. The  Indianapolis Indians played at Bush Stadium until 1996, when they moved to Victory Field. City officials revealed the plans for Bush Stadium at an announcement for a larger effort called 16 Tech, a vision that would require a public investment between $15 million and $20 million. Check out a PDF including several renderings of the plans here. The full story is here.