Roundabout Winton

Speedway has done a fantastic job of redeveloping its Main Street from 10th to Crawfordsville. Say what you will, but I think that building the roundabout at 16th/Crawfordsville/Main was an excellent idea and has worked out swimmingly.

Roundabout in front of IMS

If you think about it, the roundabout essentially is the bookend for one end of Main Street, but I don't believe it needs to function as an endpoint. Notice that, going west on Crawfordsville Rd., there is a wonderful pedestrian trail on the south side of the road, due to the old railroad and pipeline right of way.

Pedestrian trail along the south side of Crawfordsville (credit: Google Earth)

On the north side of Crawfordsville, we have some of the most quintessentially Speedway stuff going. Pam's Liquors, with the checkered flags built out in the old garage. Classic Speedway. The car wash, while not the sexiest thing in the world, is likewise classic Speedway.

Car wash, facing east. Pam's is in the background. (credit: Google Earth)

Thereafter, there's a variety of quasi-commercial buildings. I believe there is a church, a law office, a real estate company, etc. Unfortunately, there is no sidewalk after the car wash. This is about the worst  place imaginable to walk or ride a bike. You're just asking to get hit by a car.

North side of Crawfordsville Rd., west of the car wash (Google Earth)

I think that Speedway would do well to take a three-step approach to developing that stretch of Crawfordsville.

1. Put a roundabout at Crawfordsville and Winton. This would result in smoother yet slower traffic on Crawfordsville Rd. Note that roundabouts don't require cars to stop but they do require that cars slow down and exercise additional caution. This is a good thing for the neighborhoods abutting this proposed roundabout, because it renders them more interconnected and walkable. The current intersection is terrible. Kids from the Allison neighborhood have to cross that intersection to get to the middle school. I guess I kind of assume that kids in Meadowood get a ride to the middle school, but if they don't, they likewise have to cross Crawfordsville. There is no good place to do so, and Winton is the logical choice. I fully recognize that this may require the purchase of a few parcels of property.

Present intersection of Winton and Crawfordsville (Google Earth)

2. Zone all property on the north side of Crawfordsville Rd., from the roundabout to Lynhurst, as retail commercial. If that stretch was continuous commercial retail space, it would be a commercial hub for the Allison and Newby neighborhoods. To the degree that it is walkable from those neighborhoods, a variety of commercial enterprises would thrive on the surrounding areas.

3. Build a nice wide sidewalk along the north side of Crawfordsville Rd.

This enables what has happened on Main St. to spread west along Crawfordsville. If that stretch is walk-able and cross-able on each end (at each roundabout), commercial activity would thrive in the area and Speedway becomes that much more of a destination. The pedestrian path on the south side of Crawfordsville would serve as an artery for people to travel, as well as a workout facility.

Perhaps I'm dreaming, but I think that a continuous sidewalk down the north end of Crawfordsville from Main to Winton (as a first stage, thereafter stretching to Lynhurst) would result in considerable commercial development.

As indicated above, I recognize that a roundabout will likely require the purchase of a few parcels of land. Similarly, I recognize that the right-of-way for the sidewalk is not free. On the other hand, I believe that the increased tax revenue on the remaining land would make up for the cost. I am no real estate expert, but I'm given to believe that property zoned commercial is worth approximately ten times what residential property is worth. I suspect that the homeowners on this portion of Crawfordsville Rd. would be more than happy with a ten-fold increase in their property value. To put it in perspective, how nice would it be to own a piece of property near the corner of 62nd & College in Broad Ripple, or NY and Alabama downtown?

As with other posts, I wonder where our town councilors are on this?  In particular with respect to the intersection of Winton and Crawfordsville, I believe that Councilors Raikes, DeLisle, and Matthews all border this. Thankfully, these are the three engaged councilors who, as I understand it, were instrumental in hiring Ian Nicolini and spearheading the redevelopment project on Main. It is my fervent hope that I am merely reiterating what they already know.