RDC Approves Firehouse Flats Agreement on Thursday
VINCENNES, Ind. (We Are Knox County) - Firehouse Flats took another step forward Thursday as the Vincennes Redevelopment Commission unanimously approved the project’s economic development agreement during its monthly meeting.
Before that vote, around a dozen people spoke during public comment, with some supporting the project and others raising concerns about parking, the location and how the process has been handled.
One of those speaking in support of Firehouse Flats was Isaac Kotter, a Vincennes University student, business owner and real estate investor.
Kotter talked about what he believes Vincennes needs to do to keep more young people here.
“If we want young people to stay here, we have to give them reasons to stay,” Kotter said.
“We need housing. We need businesses. We need opportunities. And we need a community that people are excited to be a part of.”
He also pointed to what more people living downtown could mean for Main Street.
“Having new residents living within walking distance of Main Street means more potential customers for the businesses we already have,” he said.
Kotter said he wants other young people to see a future for themselves in Vincennes, too.
“I’m choosing to invest my time, my money, and my future here in Vincennes,” he said. “And I want to see other young people have the opportunity to do the same.”
Some of the support also came from the perspective of employers trying to recruit people to Vincennes.
Vincennes University President Chuck Johnson said the university recruits faculty and professional staff from across the country, but some end up living in surrounding communities because they cannot find housing in Vincennes that meets their needs.
Good Samaritan President and CEO Adam Thacker made a similar point, saying having more housing options could help the hospital as it competes nationally to recruit healthcare professionals.
Support for the project also came from the Downtown Vincennes Association.
Community Relations Coordinator Ellen Harper said the organization believes bringing more people downtown could help existing businesses at a time when several storefronts are sitting empty.
“More foot traffic means more people downtown,” Harper said, adding that she believes the parking concerns can be worked through.
But not everyone who spoke Thursday supported the project.
Vincennes Clerk-Treasurer Cathy Lane was among those who raised concerns, focusing largely on transparency and how much involvement elected officials and the public have had in the process.
Lane said she believes there was not enough input from people who may have had concerns or questions.
“Only a few selected voices were allowed to be involved. And no one who may possibly oppose the project.”
She also questioned how much opportunity the public had to weigh in before the project reached this stage.
“There was no public hearing on the matter, never even a public discussion.”
Lane also said she felt her position as an elected official had been sidelined during the process.
“So if my thoughts and knowledge as an elected person are not important to you, then maybe my voice as a voter will be.”
She ended her remarks with a direct appeal to RDC members.
“I hope that you will listen to the people.”
Downtown business owners also shared their concerns with RDC members.
Becky Pea-Stenger, who owns Pea-Fections, and Clint and Leah Richter, who own Pearl and Chrome, Littles Toy Store and the Grand Bankquet Hall, all spoke about parking and communication.
“I would have liked direct communication from everyone instead of hearsay and finding out things on Facebook,” Pea-Stenger said.
The Richters made a similar point.
“I just don’t feel that we’ve been treated with any sort of consideration whatsoever and actually had a sit down before we got to this point,” Clint Richter said.
After public comment, AP Development President Jon Anderson gave RDC members an update on the project and addressed several of the concerns surrounding it.
Anderson reviewed the current plans, which call for an 89-unit market-rate apartment building at Third and Vigo streets, along with additional apartments planned for the former funeral home at Fifth and Main streets.
He said the overall development represents about a $24 million investment in downtown Vincennes.
Parking took up a significant portion of Anderson’s presentation.
He told RDC members AP Development is contributing $800,000 in READI funding back to the city to help acquire and pave additional public parking near the project.
“The city is not paying for that,” Anderson said.
“We are actually contributing back $800,000 of the READI funding received from the state to the city to acquire and pave those parking lots.”
Anderson also discussed the former drive-up bank property across from City Hall, which the city is working to acquire and convert into public parking.
He said the goal is to have that parking available before construction on Firehouse Flats begins.
Anderson also clarified how the project’s TIF (Tax Increment Financing) would work.
“We are pulling this out of the downtown TIF, creating its own TIF,” Anderson said. “So, we have zero impact on the downtown TIF.”
Anderson said the separate TIF would capture new property tax revenue generated by the increase in assessed value from the development.
WAKC News Now spoke with Redevelopment Commission President Tim Smith about the project and the concerns raised during the meeting.
Smith said he thought both supporters and those raising concerns made valid points.
“I think everybody who spoke positively had good points,” Smith said.
“I think those with concerns… they have legitimate concerns, especially for them.”
He said one of the broader goals is getting more people who already work in Vincennes and Knox County to live here.
“We have several people who commute to Vincennes and Knox County to work from other counties and other states that we would like to have them live here,” Smith said.
Smith also said he believes adding more residents in a walkable part of downtown could have a wider impact.
“If we put new people in our community and new people in a walkable area of downtown, that is going to enhance our downtown being vibrant and sustained,” Smith said, “and not just downtown, but our entire community.”
Thursday’s approvals move Firehouse Flats forward, but the project still has additional approvals and financing steps to go through before AP Development can break ground.
In a previous interview with WAKC News Now, Anderson said construction could begin as early as next spring if those remaining approvals move forward as planned.
Comments