Aletha Dunston knows when residents and business owners get a taste of what it’s like to reside near Fort Benjamin Harrison, they typically expand within the area.
Up to 250 families may soon reside near the fort now that the Fort Harrison Reuse Authority has signed a project agreement with Cityscape Residential to bring market-rate apartments north of Otis Avenue between Lawrence Village Parkway and Lee Road.
“We are very excited to work with this developer because they understand what makes the fort unique and are really excited about capitalizing on the history and the culture,” said Dunston, the executive director for FHRA.
Dunston said zoning requirements aren’t as strict where the apartments are planned, meaning the developer can be more creative with construction while incorporating a nod to the history at Fort Benjamin Harrison.
The apartments will range from three to four stories with a heavy allotment of one-bedroom apartments. Two- and three-bedroom apartments also will be offered. The complex will encompass 7.9 acres.
Still in the design phase, the complex doesn’t have a name. Amenities are still in the planning stage.
“We really see this as an opportunity that’s either for people on a short-term contract to live somewhere they can walk to amenities and restaurants and shops, but also try out the Fort before they invest in a bigger, more permanent spaces, which we’ve seen a lot of once they come to the Fort,” Dunston said. “Whether business or residential, they tend to grow and try to find another space here at the Fort.”
Construction could begin as early as this year with an estimated completion date of 2020 or 2021.
Other Otis Avenue developments in the works
Across from the proposed 250-unit apartment complex north of Otis Avenue, the Indianapolis Public Library has proposed build its second-largest branch. Deatils are still in the development phase.
Fort Harrison Reuse Authority Executive Director Aletha Dunston said other developments, like a public parking garage, also are planned.
“There will be a hotel, public parking garage, three-story, mixed-use building south of Otis on 56th Street,” Dunston said. “We are doing the public parking garage.”
The reuse authority hasn’t yet determined how many parking spaces will be availalbe. Dunston expects the garage and the other developments to be designed concurrently with the Cityscape Residential apartments.
