Local leaders hope to overhaul downtown Marion into an “inside-out” arts and entertainment district with the help of state and federal funding through Indiana’s Stellar Communities Program.
“A lot of places want an arts district. Our pitch is that we already have one; we just want to have the best one,” said Marion Planning Director Aletha Dunston. “This is what we want to be when we grow up. We’re already going in this direction.”
According to a letter of interest submitted by Marion to Stellar dated Feb. 28, that improvement would take place over three years in a nine-block area near the banks of the Mississinewa River.
After the improvements, Marion would have “a cultural district anchored by an expanded Community School of the Arts” campus, including a greater ability to host conventions and tournaments; “educational, interactive art for the whole family”; and “walkable areas that encourage healthy activity.”
“We envision a place where the university students, blue and white collar workers, veterans, government employees, international residents, senior citizens and families learn and growth together in the downtown grid once again,” the letter states.
Downtown anchors listed in the letter include Community School of the Arts, Family Service Society, Main Street Marion and the Grant County Family YMCA.
Projects in five categories — recreation and attraction, connectivity and circulation, economic growth, streetscape and beautification and housing — could involve those anchors, as well as Affordable Housing and Community Development Co. and Habitat for Humanity.
Potential projects include an additional gym at the YMCA; a 35-acre sports and entertainment venue including Ballard Field; a festival venue on the river anchored by Main Street Marion; revamped transportation options; additional entrepreneurial spaces; and new housing within walking distance.
Complementary projects completed without Stellar funding could follow.
“This will require us to continue to be creative,” said City Marketing Director Mark Fauser.
The letter of interest outlines a financial structure including an estimated $7 million in Stellar funding and $6.2 million in local matching funds. Local funds could include private donations and “regular avenues of public funding” including TIF, EDIT, CEDIT, Redevelopment Commission and other funds.
“We understand that improving our quality of life is economic development, so we are justified in using public funds meant for such,” Dunston said.
Dunston said the four previous Stellar winners — North Vernon and Greencastle in 2011, followed by Princeton and Delphi in 2012 — have each invested at least $1 million in public funding. Combined the four will receive more than $40 million over three years through the program.
“At this stage in the process we are selling our vision,” Dunston said. “Specific projects, budgets and funds will be identified during the next round. … Keep in mind that all projects and budgets are fairly hypothetical until then.”
Many organizations with property in or near the district or with a vested interest in the community have signed the application as partners.
Partners listed include Affordable Housing, the Community Foundation of Grant County, CSA, Designs Group, FSSI, the Grant County Economic Growth Council, Halstead Architects, Indiana Wesleyan University, MSM, Marion Community Schools, Marion General Hospital, the Marion/Grant County Convention and Visitors Bureau, the Marion Public Library, Mutual Bank, Randall Miller and Associates and the YMCA.
Stellar started in 2011 as a collaboration “between the Indiana Office of Community and Rural Affairs (OCRA), the Indiana Housing and Community Development Authority (IHCDA) and the Indiana Department of Transportation (INDOT),” according to a release from the office of Lt. Governor Sue Ellspermann.
Marion is one of several communities that have filed paperwork to those groups aiming to become one of two communities to receive funding through Stellar.
Six to eight finalists are expected to be announced Friday.
Marion’s application was prepared over about three weeks, Dunston said, though it incorporates projects and partnerships that stretch back much further. That narrow window made the involvement of local architects and planners more practical in addition to more desirable.
“Any money that they make in professional fees goes back into the district,” Dunston said.
Dunston said planning for the application started with Marion’s comprehensive plan, which started development in 2008 and finished in 2010. The Marion City Council approved a $10,000 planning grant for Stellar Dec. 21, 2010.
“Our idea is one of hooking the community together,” said Affordable Housing Executive Director Jacquie Dodyk, who is administering this year’s application, in 2010. “This is a path we’d like to follow to make our community vibrant, where people (and businesses) would not just survive, but would thrive.”