City getting new appraisals for newly acquired site

The ink is barely dry on the closing documents and the excitement of moving ahead on a land purchase for the proposed community center still lingers.

To wit, City Attorney Laurie Hardwick’s joyous report to the Greencastle Redevelopment Commission Wednesday afternoon, announcing, “We closed on the community center property!”

That was the 73.26 acres of vacant ground on the city’s East Side acquired from the Ballard and Sturgeon families as the proposed site for the long-sought community center. The disclosed purchase price was $1.4 million.

But closing on the property wasn’t the only good news related to that land purchase Wednesday. The city has an industrial client interested in the westernmost 21.85-acre parcel south of the Walmart Supercenter, Mayor Bill Dory said.

Since that land was acquired as “raw ground,” as Dory described it, new appraisals are necessary to reflect the planned extension of Calbert Way south from its present terminus at the Walmart stoplight entrance.

“Our intent is to extend Calbert Way and provide utilities,” Dory said of the proposed community center site and the adjacent area for development. “We need appraisals to reflect that.”

City Attorney Hardwick said the site will be sold as “improved ground,” similar to when the old Sgt. Cunningham site acquired from IBM was sold.

Redevelopment Commission member Gwen Morris asked how soon the interested party might want the property.

“Like six months ago,” Mayor Dory said, noting that officials have been working with the client for some time.

Commission member Gary Lemon made the motion to approve funding new appraisals on the 21.85-acre site. His motion subsequently earned affirmative votes from Erika Gilmore, Drew Brattain, Lottie Barcus and Morris.

Wednesday’s action came a little more than a month since the Redevelopment Commission‘s March 20 approval of the purchase of the property stretching from Ballard Lane on the east to the Walmart Distribution Center on the west, south of State Road 240 and north of the existing area homes to the south.

The site also includes frontage along State Road 240 from Calbert Way to the Farm Credit property at the corner of State Road 240 and Ballard Lane.

Funding for the purchase is from Redevelopment Commission dollars generated through the city’s East Side TIF district.

In other business, Mayor Dory reported that engineering on the Calbert Way extension is due to begin shortly.

Meanwhile, he said he hasn’t had time to arrange a meeting with INDOT officials concerning a traffic study of the State Road 240 corridor.

The next regularly scheduled meeting of the Greencastle Redevelopment Commission is set for 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, May 22 at City Hall.