Drury Hotel Proposal

Friday, March 28, 2008

Is an 88′ tall 7-story hotel an appropriate development for the northeast corner of West 71st Street and Marsh Road? I can remember the horsefarm that preceded Chestnut Hills. Its beautiful farmhouse nestled in mature trees is now a centerpiece of the custom housing development. The owner of the land to the south, Sourwine Development, was able to convey a considerable amount of land to INDOT for interstate off ramp rights of way after selling a site to Bob Evans. Hotel is probably an appropriate use but rezoning is required. The remaining land is zoned commercial and approved for an extended stay hotel not to exceed a height of 35′. There is some concern about the intensity of a facility over twice the previously approved height being placed there. Neighbors have asked to see a computer graphic rendering depicting the shadows cast by the new structure to the adajcent neighbors to the north. PTRA will hear from the developer, Drury Hotels, at their next regularly scheduled meeting on April 9 at 7:00. PTRA meets at the government center at 56th and Lafayette. Traders Point Association of Neighborhoods (TPAN) has not taken a position.
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About Ross Reller

I am pleased you have expressed interest in learning more about the historic Traders Point area in Indianapolis, Indiana. From 1980 to 1982 I was employed in the PR department at Conner Prairie Museum in Hamilton County. There I learned about William Conner, an important figure in Indiana's pioneer days. A decade later I became interested in the history of the Traders Point area and was surprised to learn that William Conner had been the first land owner in the area. In 1823 he acquired, through the Federal land office in Brookville, a patent for an 80 acre tract carved by Eagle Creek and an Indian trail that was about to be named the first toll roadway through the township (Lafayette Road). Thirty years later a village took shape within this tract. A grain mill on the creek, houses, churches, stores, restaurants, and two gas stations would take shape here in the creek valley hamlet of Traders Point. By 1962 all improvements (except a farmer's co-op) had been removed by the Indianapolis Flood Control Board to make way for Interstate 65 and a new reservoir. This blog is dedicated to preserving evidence of this historic area but I will occasionally use it to discuss related topics. To activate this follow, simply click the confirm button below. If you don't want to follow, ignore this message and we'll never bother you again. I am also a member of the Old Pleasant Hill Cemetery, a non profit association still selling burial plots for those who would like to spend all eternity in Traders Point, and I am an officer in the Pike Township Historical Society and the Traders Point Association of Neighborhoods.
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