Landscape Architect Articles

Green Space Up for Grabs08-29-08 | News

Green Space Up for Grabs

While only 5.5 percent of Indianapolis, Ind. is green space, Mayor Greg Ballard is looking at selling off some of the green for possible development. On Aug. 20, 2008, the mayor announced the appointment of Stuart Lowry to head the Indianapolis Department of Parks and Recreation, which has a $4 million operating deficit.

In the March Park issue, LASN wrote a news item titled ?EUR??,,????'?????<a href="https://www.landscapearchitect.com/research/article/10315 .

It briefly detailed the proposal by Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick to sell 92 of the city?EUR??,,????'?????<

Now, Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard is taking a look at selling off his city?EUR??,,????'?????<

Critics of the plan don?EUR??,,????'?????< that a real estate firm is doing the inventory, plus will have the marketing rights if properties go on sale.

Maintaining the city green spaces is challenging, as according to the Indy Parks 2004 master plan, city residents pay only $32 a year toward park maintenance. Columbus, Ohio, by contrast, collects $72 per resident.

Cities, of course, have other realities. On Aug. 4, 2008, Mayor Ballard and the Crime Prevention Advisory Board announced the city is setting aside $5 million in county taxes to pay for community crime prevention grants.