Updates: 4186 North Broadway Street
4186 North Broadway Street/Kaleidoscope Youth Center
Curt Churchman, Petition #2014-UV1-037
Variance of use of the Special Zoning Ordinance to provide for an art/rug gallery with related retail sales and services.
January 30, 2015
Update: Hearing Date Change
The hearing with the Board of Zoning Appeals has been continued. A neighbor made the request for the continuance and has been in contact with the KYC board in hopes of finding a resolution that benefits everyone. As the situation develops , we will continue to provide updates.
This case is now scheduled be heard by the Metropolitan Board of Zoning Appeals on March 3, 2015 at 1:00pm in the Public Assembly Room (second floor) of the City-County Building (200 E. Washington St, Indianapolis).
All interested neighbors are encouraged to attend.
January 14, 2015
Update: Additional Comments from the Land Use Committee
Read the MKNA Land Use Report, January 7, 2015 for more information on this case including the committee’s vote 5-4 to deny the variance.
We have received many questions regarding our decision not to support the variance to allow 4186 N. Broadway St. (former Kaleidoscope Youth Center) to be used as a commercial property and wanted to take an opportunity to share our position with the neighborhood.
As most of you are aware, this property began its life in the 1950’s as a community asset housing the Broadway Library Branch. When the Library moved to its current building on College Avenue, MKNA was very active in keeping the former library building from being torn down and turned into a parking lot. We were adamant that there was a new chapter in the life of this building that would allow it to remain a community asset and the legacy of neighborhood-oriented service would continue. It was a huge win for our neighborhood when Kaleidoscope Youth Center first leased the property from the library board and began serving the neighborhood’s youth population. Children who previously had nowhere to go after school were now able to be a part of a program that kept them in a safe, educational environment.
Several years later, as KYC continued their after-school and summer programs, they had an opportunity to purchase the building and vacant lot to the south from the library board. MKNA again stepped up to help facilitate KYC purchasing the property from the library board— yet another win for the neighborhood! For several more years, Kaleidoscope’s after-school and summer programs continued to be operated out of this facility.
We regret that Kaleidoscope ultimately ended its programs as a result of changes in support from United Way and was left with an empty building. After their decision to close, MKNA representatives had several conversations with KYC board members and expressed our desire for this property to remain some sort of neighborhood-serving function.
Last October, MKNA met with members of the KYC board and they indicated they had an offer to buy the property for a commercial use. We expressed our concerns and again stressed our desires to keep this a neighborhood-serving facility. From our perspective, it did not appear the building was ever ‘listed for sale’ or marketed well enough to seek interested buyers who could fit a service-oriented use and allow the legacy and mission of KYC to be carried on in a different capacity.
Our Land Use Committee and Board of Directors both had very lengthy discussions about how to handle this case. Ultimately, we feel this building and adjacent play area together is a community asset and it would be a loss for our neighborhood to allow the property to become a commercial use. While there is ample commercial space in the neighborhood, there is very little space reserved for these special uses. As stewards of the community, we must look at the bigger picture and do what we feel is the best long-term decision.
MKNA met this week with Curt Churchman, owner of Fine Estate Rugs, and members of the KYC board to explain our position. We greatly appreciate their willingness to meet and discuss, despite the fact that we know a compromise is not possible. If the zoning board votes in our favor, we have vowed to assist in any way possible to help Mr. Churchman find an appropriate location in the neighborhood for his business. We very much support his business and regret that this decision may negatively impact him. We also have offered our help to KYC to help find the right user for this property. We remain positive that if the property is more widely marketed, there will be interest from a purchaser that can utilize the property within its current ‘special use’ zoning classification.
Lastly, MKNA wishes to again stress this is in no way an attack against Mr. Churchman and his business. We wish to see his business stay in our neighborhood and we will support him any way we can.
January 7, 20015
Land Use Committee Decision
Read the MKNA Land Use Report, January 7, 2015 for more information on this case including the committee’s vote 5-4 to deny the variance.
