Devington Plaza task force unveils ideas as residents, developer look for path forward

An east-side neighborhood group on Wednesday unveiled its wishlist for the overhaul of the rundown Devington Plaza shopping center following what the organization’s leaders described as stalled discussions with an out-of-state investment firm planning its own project on the site.

The concept from the Devington Redevelopment Task Force—a self-appointed group of neighborhood leaders—calls for a community health and wellness complex and grocery store on the western portion of the 36-acre site at the corner of East 46th Street and Arlington Avenue. The rest of the site would include a large parking connected to the Arlington Middle School campus, a multi-use sports field, a small retail center and senior housing.

The 16-member task force’s proposal is meant to show developers—including New York-based Skysoar Capital Partners, which has the property under contract and has its own plan for an overhaul—what the neighborhood would like to see the plaza become. But the task force doesn’t have money of its own and has no agreement with a developer that would allow it to make the proposal a reality.

Still, the group wants Skysoar Capital Partners to reconsider its plan for the nearly abandoned site.

That company’s current proposal calls for a two-phase, $100 million overhaul consisting of more than 500 apartments, 35,000 square feet of retail and restaurant space, town houses, a hotel, an esports facility and various community spaces.

Both the task force and Skysoar agree that the site requires a complete demolition of the existing 192,000-square-foot shopping center. But neighborhood leaders have said a large concentration of apartments or other housing types should be a non-starter.

The decision isn’t in the task force’s hands, although they can try to influence city officials.

Skysoar’s effort to rezone the property for its development is expected to be considered by the Metropolitan Development Commission hearing examiner on Feb. 27. A staff report from December recommended approval of the project. An updated version of the report is expected to be made public later this week.

Skysoar principal Clark Katz said the company plans to ask for a continuance on the project. Lucas Gonzalez, chief communications officer for the city’s Department of Metropolitan Development, declined to comment on the case, citing the ongoing legislative process.

Katz told IBJ he continues to be open to the community’s ideas but noted those ideas would “have to work for the market.”

He said the firm would even be open to eliminating all market-rate and low-income housing if the neighborhood came in with a proposal that would be a financially sustainable alternative. At the time of his comments, he had not yet seen details of the task force’s plans.

“If we just build a whole bunch of commercial here and we can’t sustain it, it will be what we have there now, just a newer version,” Katz said. “We’re open to modifying [our concept], but it has to pencil out.”

Stephanie Marshall, president of the Brendon Park Neighborhood Association and leader of the task force, said the group’s proposal includes a four-story wellness center that would likely be operated by a nonprofit organization. It would offer an Olympic-size pool, basketball courts, fitness and workout spaces, batting cages, a dance studio and a walking track.

The proposal would also include a career center, small offices and a promenade area featuring dining and seating spaces, along with standalone stalls and in-building spaces for restaurants and small businesses, along with a gallery space highlighting the neighborhood’s history.

Marshall said the task force would hope to call the facility the Main Sail Wellness Center, a maritime-themed nod to Lawrence’s namesake, U.S. Navy Capt. James Lawrence, who originated the phrase “Don’t give up the ship” during the War of 1812.

The task force also is proposing an amphitheater with tiered lawn seating on the south side of the property.

The roof of the building is proposed to have a terrace and a small playing field for soccer, lacrosse or field hockey, with a small amount of stadium seating on either side. The north side of the building site would offer a 10,000- to 20,000-square-foot grocery store and parking, Marshall said.

“When we were phasing all of this out and thinking about how we create an anchor, we were thinking about it in a way that would bring families, communities and others into this space,” Marshall said, adding the group hopes the redeveloped property would be a one-stop shop for residents on the east-side of Indianapolis or in southwestern Lawrence.

The proposal also includes plans for small retail center, a bank, restaurants and a fire station, along with the multi-use athletic field.

Marshall said the neighborhood views the idea as a starting point for future discussion about the property. She said the task force hopes to find and work with developers that would be interested in making the project a reality.

Marshall said while she and others have spent the past several weeks trying to find a middle ground with Skysoar on its project, she feels there has been little movement.

She said the company indicated it was willing to include a senior housing component—an element the task force believes neighbors would support—but planned to retain most of its other planned housing, including a mix of market-rate and low-income apartments.

Katz said while there have been challenges in finding a middle-ground in conversations with task force leaders, he is confident that one exists. He said Skysoar understands the neighborhood has a vision for an area that combines unique destinations and activities—and the company has similar hopes.

Based on what he’d seen before Wednesday night, Katz said the neighborhood leaders have “pretty much the same idea that we have now for what we want to do.” But he said Skysoar sees issues with having a large grocery or supermarket tenant. He also acknowledged residents are apprehensive about an out-of-state firm coming into their neighborhood.

Marshall said she believes that the neighborhood vision is achievable, and whether it is Skysoar or another firm, the task force hopes to have a major say in what comes next for Devington Plaza.

“We understand that there must be a bottom line, but we think that impact over profits is important,” Marshall said. This is the “only commercial space available to be able to provide [for the neighborhoods] and bridge the gaps of needs that we have. We not only deserve it, but we demand the support that would get us there.”